eserve  Storage 
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UNIVERSITY  OP 
CALIFORNIA 
SANTA 


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Collection 


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UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 
SANTA  CRU2 


LIFE 


OF 


CHARLES    SUMNER. 

• 

BY 

JEREMIAH    CHAPLIN 

AND 

J.  D.  CHAPLIN. 


WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION 

BY 

HON.  WILLIAM  CLAFLIN. 


BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED  BY   D.  LOTHROP  8^  CO. 

DOVER,  N.  H.  :    G.  T.  DAY  &  CO. 

1874. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1874, 

BY  D.  LOTHROP  &  CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


8TEBEOTYPED  AT  THE 
BOSTON  STEREOTYPE  FOTTNDBY, 

19  Spring  Laue. 


C44 


PREFACE. 


IN  the  belief  that  a  Life  of  Charles  Sumner,  our 
great  Senator,  written  in  a  somewhat  popular  style, 
would  be  welcomed  by  the  public,  this  work  has 
been  carefully  prepared  from  the  most  authentic 
sources. 

The  writers  have  had  access  to  private  papers, 
and  other  sources  of  information,  which  have 
enabled  them  to  give  some  hitherto  unpublished 
incidents  and  letters. 

The  works  of  Mr.  Sumner  have  been  carefully 
examined,  and  fitting  selections  from  his  speeches 
have  been  incorporated  in  the  biography.  His 
addresses  are  an  integral  part  of  the  history  of 
the  times  in  which  he  lived,  and  they  largely 
reveal  his  character. 

A  full  survey  of  Mr.  Sumner's  public  career  has 
not  been  attempted.  To  do  that,  would  have  been 
to  transcend  the  limits  of  our  plan,  which  was, 

iii 


IV  PKEFACE. 

rather,  to  dwell  upon  his  connection  with  the  one 
great  subject  which,  above  all  others,  called  out 
his  powers  and  developed  his  character.  To  the 
overthrow  of  American  Slavery  he  gave  his  most 
earnest  thought,  and  it  was  in  this,  his  chief  work, 
that  his  distinguished  qualities  of  mind  and  heart 
are  most  conspicuous.  He  was  a  statesman  in 
no  narrow  sense ;  he  was  not  a  man  of  but  one 
idea ;  he  was  at  home  in  all  the  business  of  legis- 
lation, in  all  foreign  and  domestic  affairs.  But  he 
will  be  chiefly  remembered  as  a  philanthropist. 
Intellectually  great,  he  was  pre-eminently  distin- 
guished as  a  lover  of  justice,  a  defender  of 
humanity.  His  moral  endowments  and  humane 
achievements  will  chiefly  endear  him  to  mankind. 
From  these  are  to  be  gathered  the  most  valua- 
ble lessons,  especially  for  the  young. 

Happy  will  it  be  for  our  country  if  her  young 
men  study  his  life,  and  emulate  his  example  of 
unselfish  devotion  to  the  cause  of  humanity.  Hap- 
py for  her  if  her  coming  legislators  believe  that 
to  be  upright  is  to  be  practical,  to  be  just  is  to  be 
patriotic. 

Properly  to-  present  Mr.  Sumner's  philanthropic 
services,  it  has  been  necessary  briefly  to  sketch  the 


PREFACE.  V 

progress  of  the  anti-slavery  enterprise  up  to  the 
time  when  he  became  its  foremost  champion. 
Three  chapters  have,  therefore,  been  given  to  the 
pioneers  in  that  cause,  and  to  the  state  of  public 
sentiment  upon  the  slavery  question  prior  to  Mr. 
Sumner's  public  life. 

In  sketching  his  career,  it  has  been  almost  a  ne- 
cessity to  cast  his  co-laborers  into  the  shade.  As 
we  hare  not  attempted  a  history  of  his  times,  but 
only  of  his  special  relation  to  the  great  question 
of  the  times,  he  seems  to  absorb  to  himself  more 
than  his  share  of  attention.  He  was,  indeed,  a 
most  conspicuous  figure,  great  among  the  great, 
in  some  respects  without  a  peer ;  but  the  names 
of  many  men  and  women  will  come  to  mind  who 
gave  the  full  measure  of  noble  talents  and  sweet 
charity  to  the  cause  of  the  humble  and  op- 
pressed—  names  that  will  never  die.  Without 
these  to  prepare  the  way,  or  to  furnish  the  con- 
temporary support  of  sympathy,  of  encouragement, 
of  prayer,  of  sacrifice,  Mr.  Sumner  could  never 
have  achieved  those  deeds  which  will  make  his 
name  immortal. 

The  writings  of  Mr.  Sumner  abound  in  noble 
sentiments,  and  in  the  fruits  of  rich  and  varied  cul- 


VI  PREFACE. 

ture.  They  are  eminently  worthy  of  perusal  by 
the  rising  generation.  But  above  all,  his  life,  in 
which  those  sentiments  found  their  most  consist- 
ent and  best  illustration,  deserves  to  be  studied 
for  its  example  of  unwavering  devotion  to  duty. 
To  do  right,  to  serve  mankind,  to  obey  God,  was 
the  high  purpose  for  which  he  wrought.  Such  a 
life,  in  the  inspiration  which  it  imparts,  in  the 
lessons  which  it  teaches,  must  be  an  abiding  and 
ever-widening  power  in  the  world.  It  is  grandly 
practical.  It  shows  the  path  of  true  success. 

To  friends  who  have  kindly  and  greatly  aided 
our  work  by  letters  of  Mr.  Sumner,  and  by  vari- 
ous valuable  information,  we  here  express  our 
grateful  appreciation  of  their  help. 

The  invaluable  work  of  Vice-President  Wilson, 
Rise  and  Fall  ,  of  the  Slave  Power  in  America, 
has  been  consulted  in  preparing  a  portion  of  this 

volume. 

J.  C. 

J*  D.  C. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  people  of  the  whole  country  realize,  now, 
the  loss  they  have  sustained  by  the  death  of  Sen- 
ator Sumner.  His  place  in  the  Senate  cannot  be 
filled  from  his  native  State,  or  any  other. 

While  he  lived,  the  people  felt  that  there  was 
one  man  in  the  national  councils  whose  voice  was 
ever  ready  in  defence  of  the  right,  and  in  oppo- 
sition to  injustice  or  wrong.  *  That  voice  is  for- 
ever hushed. 

The  fame  of  the  great  statesman,  orator,  and 
philanthropist  reaches  all  civilized  lands  ;  and  all 
classes,  here,  desire  to  know  his  history  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  his  life.  This  is  not 
strange,  when  it  is  remembered  that  only  two 
men  exceeded  his  term  of  service  in  the  Senate, 
and  that  neither  of  them  held  the  position  during 
a  very  eventful  period  in  the  history  of  the  coun- 

vii 


Viii  INTBODUCTION. 

try,  or  made  himself  especially  distinguished  be- 
yond his  own  immediate  locality. 

Few  persons  have  used  their  opportunities  for 
obtaining  an  education  so  faithfully  as  Mr.  Sum- 
ner.  Endowed  by  nature  with  great  intellectual 
powers,  possessing  a  genius  for  statesmanship 
and  philanthropy  of  the  first  order,  he  early  de- 
voted himself  to  most  diligent  study  of  all  mat- 
ters relating  to  jurisprudence,  international  law, 
and  the  principles  of  government. 

In  the  order  of  Providence  he  was  kept  from 
the  first  struggles  of  the  party  of  freedom.  He 
was  preparing  for  the  great  work  before  him. 
When,  therefore,  he  entered  upon  his  career  in 
the  Senate,  he  was  better  fitted  than  any  one  of 
his  associates  to  me'et  the  tremendous  responsibil- 
ities which  soon  pressed  upon  him. 

He  gave  himself  to  the  cause  dear  to  him  and  to 
every  lover  of  liberty,  without  the  least  reserve  or 
hesitation.  All  private  business  was  laid  aside, 
that  he  might  devote  himself  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  object  for  which  the  people  of  his 
State  sent  him  to  the  Senate. 

The  great  political  struggle  in  the  legislature 
which  resulted  in  his  election  had  drawn  the  atten- 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

tion  of  the  country  to  him.  Nor  were  the  people 
long  kept  in  ignorance  of  his  purposes  and  power. 
His  first  great  speech  showed  the  depth  of  his 
moral  convictions,  and  his  determination  to  leave 
nothing  undone  to  free  the  land  from  the  blight- 
ing curse  of  slavery. 

Thenceforth  there  was  no  cessation  of  hostility 
to  him  and  his  measures  on  the  part  of  the  up- 
holders of  that  system.  All  their  denunciations, 
however,  had  no  effect  upon  him.  He  was  one 
of  the  foremost  of  the  noble  band  of  statesmen 
who  deemed  all  other  questions  subordinate  while 
slavery  existed. 

Although  its  abolition  was  paramount  with  him, 
yet  there  never  was  a  greater  mistake  than  to 
suppose  that  he  was  not  a  practical  man  in  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  his  office.  He  was  familiar  with 
the  whole  machinery  of  government,  and  knew  how 
to  accomplish  an  object  in  the  shortest  possible 
time.  This  was  attested,  again  and  again,  by  those 
having  business  before  Congress  or  the  depart- 
ments, in  which  it  was  proper  to  ask  his  influence 
and  co-operation. 

But  if  a  doubtful  scheme  or  claim  was  to  be 
carried  through,  he  was  the  most  impractical  of 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

men.  Professional  lobbyists  knew,  well  enough, 
that  if  a  thing  was  right,  he  would  favor  it,  but 
if  questionable,  no  tactics,  however  skilful,  would 
secure  his  support. 

In  all  his  long  official  life  no  one'  dared  to  im- 
peach his  integrity  or  question  his  motives.  En- 
tire devotion  to  duty,  undeviating  rectitude,  and 
high  moral  convictions  guided  and  controlled  him. 

The  sudden  termination  of  a  life  so  intimately 
connected  with  the  government,  and  so  potent  in 
its  influence,  makes  impressive  these  traits,  rarely 
found  in  the  most  distinguished  statesmen  of  the 
world. 

That  a  character  so  noble  may  be  clearly  brought 
before  the  masses,  and  especially  before  the  young 
men  who  are  soon  to  hold  positions  of  honor  and 
trust  in  the  State  and  Nation,  is  the  purpose  of 
this  volume. 


0 


~ 


C^X^Cv-OO^ 


"  Humbly  do  I  recognize  the  authority  of  Him  who,  when 
reviled,  reviled  not  again;  but  His  divine  example  teaches 
me  to  expose  crime,  and  not  to  hesitate,  though  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees,  chief  priests  and  money-changers,  cry  out." 

"Liberty  has  been  won;  the  battle  for  Equality  is  still 
pending." 

"To  be  a  man  is  a  sufficient  title-deed  for  the  rights  of 
man." 

"  Say,  in  lofty  madness,  that  you  own  the  sun,  the  stars, 
the  moon ;  but  do  not  say  that  you  own  a  man,  endowed  with 
soul  to  live  immortal,  when  sun,  and  moon,  and  stars  have 
passed  away." 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  of  Charles  Sumner.  —  His  Parents.  —  His 
Ancestry. 

AN  event  so  common  as  the  birth  of  a  child 
makes  little  stir  in  the"  busy  world;  and  even 
when  Heaven  is  so  lavish  of  its  blessings  as  to 
send  two  little  ones  to  the  same  home  at  once,  it 
brings  joy  only  to  the  limited  circle  of  relatives 
and  friends  who  can  enter  into  the  happiness  of 
the  parents. 

On  the  6th  day  of  January,  1811,  Charles 
Pinckney  Sumner  and  Relief,  his  wife,  were  glad- 
dened by  the  birth  of  their  first  children,  Charles 
and  Matilda. 

The  little  new-comers  to  the  great,  grange 
2  17 


18         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

world  were  frail  and  tiny  specimens  of  humanity.* 
But  they  were  born  to  live ;  one  of  them  to  grow 
to  maidenhood,  and  to  grace  her  home  a  few  short 
years,  and  then  to  pass  away  like  a  flower ;  the 
other,  with  a  frame  scarcely  large  enough  to 
carry  life,  was  to  develop  into  a  strong  man, 
whose  name  was  to  be  a  power  in  the  land  for 
whose  freedom  his  fathers  had  fought. 

The  men  of  Boston  read  their  papers  on  that 
6th  day  of  January,  and  discussed  the  plans  and 
the  broils  at  the  seat  of  government,  just  as  the 
men  of  Boston  do  to-day.  They  passed  and  re- 


*Mrs.  Winslow,  a  very  aged  widow,  a  member  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church,  living  in  Charter  Street,  gives  the  following  inter- 
esting facts : — 

The  Simmer  family  were  neighbors  of  hers  at  the  time  their 
twins  were  born.  She  knew  Mrs.  Stimner  well,  and  speaks  of  her 
as  an  excellent,  kind  person,  and  remembers  when-  she  made  a 
public  profession  of  religion.  She  states  that  on  the  third  day 
after  the  birth  of  the  twins,  she  (Mrs.  Winslow)  said  to  a  neighbor, 
"Let  us  go  over  and  see  Mrs.  Sumner's  babies."  They  went, 
and  were  shown  into  the  chamber  where  they  lay.  They  were  the 
smallest  infants  she  had  ever  seen,  weighing  but  three  pounds  and 
a  half  each.  The  clothes  which  would  have  fitted  ordinary  babies 
were  so  much  too  large  that  the  little  ones  were  simply  wrapped  up, 
and  not  dressed,  at  that  time.  Mrs.  Winslow  says  she  took  both 
babes  in  her  arms,  and  held  them  while  there. 

The  house  in  which  they  were  born  was  in  May  Street  (now  Re- 
vere Street),  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Bowdoin  School  build- 
ing. The  family  afterwards  removed  to  20  Hancock  Street,  which 
was  long  their  home,  and  where  Mrs.  Sumner  died. 


RESIDENCE  OF  MR.   SUMNEll'S  FATHER,   HANCOCK  ST.,   BOSTON 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.         19 

passed  the  house  where  lay  sleeping  the  future 
senator  —  the  little  Samson,  who  was  to  take  so 
large  a  part  in  slaying  the  lion  that  was  threaten- 
ing the  life  of  the  nation,  and  in  pulling  down  the 
gates  with  which  oppression  had  guarded  her 
strong  cities. 

One  of  God's  anointed  had  come  to  do  a  mighty 
work  for  him  and  for  humanity.  But  he  had 
appeared  without  the  prophecy  of  seer,  or  the 
heralding  song  of  rejoicing  angels ;  and  he  lay 
there  as  little  an  object  of  terror  to  Southern  op- 
pression, as  was  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem,  on  the 
night  of  his  advent,  to  the  imperious  rulers  of  the 
East.  And  yet  the  birth  of  Charles  Sumner  was  a 
great  event  to  Massachusetts,  to  America,  and, 
more  than  all,  to  millions  of  slaves  groaning  under 
the  lash  and  trembling  before  the  auction-block. 

America  had  broken  her  own  fetters,  but  she 
had  gathered  up  the  links  and  welded  them  anew 
on  the  limbs  of  defenceless  strangers.  But  she 
was  not  quite  at  ease  in  her  oppression.  She  was 
beginning  to  hear  the  voice  of  God  —  to  be 
afraid. 

Some  men  affect  to  despise  ancestry,  and  even 
regard  it  as  Democratic  to  boast  of  a  low  origin. 


20  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

Men  of  noble  heart  and  earnest  life  have,  indeed, 
come  up  to  bless  the  world  from  coarse  and  igno- 
rant families;  but  their  success  has  been  in 
spite,  rather  than  in  consequence,  of  their  origin. 
The  Scriptures,  which  teach  the  truest  humility, 
hold  up  to  us  the  great  blessing  of  an  upright 
and  godly  ancestry.  Wealth  does  not  settle  the 
question  of  pedigree.  The  noble  of  the  earth 
are  those  who  are  moved  by  high  moral  principle 
and  unselfish  aims,  let  their  worldly  condition 
be  what  it  may.  We  often  see  nobility  under  the 
garb  of  toil,  and  meanness  beneath  purple  and 
fine  linen. 

The  greatest  and  grandest  specimen  of  hu- 
manity that  ever  walked  the  earth  (for  Jesus  was 
as  truly  human  as  divine)  wrought  with  the  tools 
of  the  artisan,  ate  the  bread  of  toil,  and  slept  the 
sleep  of  the  laboring  man,  which  is  sweet. 

Decker,  an  old  English  poet,  says,  — 

"  the  best  of  men 

That  e'er  wore  earth's  garb  about  him  — 
A  soft,  meek,  patient,  humble,  tranquil  spirit ; 
The  first  true  gentleman  that  ever  breathed." 

None  will  deny  that  it  is  a  great  blessing  to 
have  come  of  a  long  line  of  noble  and  honorable 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER.         21 

men,  who,  having  served  God  and  their  genera- 
tion, left  to  their*  descendants  an  inheritance  of 
moral,  physical,  and  intellectual  strength.  In 
such  a  parentage  Charles  Sumner  was  singularly 
blessed. 

The  ancestor  who  emigrated  to  this  country 
was  •  William  Sumner,  a  sturdy  Puritan,  born  in 
Kent,  England,  in  1605,  and  "  made  a  freeman," 
that  is,  admitted  to  the  privileges  of  citizenship, 
in  Massachusetts,  in  1637.  Next  comes  his  son 
Roger,  and  his  grandson  Seth,  and  then  Job,  the 
grandfather,  and  Charles  Pinckney,  the  father  of 
the  great  senator  who  has  just  passed  away. 

Job  Sumner  was  a  student  at  Harvard  when 
the  revolutionary  war  broke  out.  He  dropped 
his  books,  gave  up  all  his  literary  plans,  at  his 
country's  call,  and,  immediately  after  the  battle 
of  Lexington,  joined  the  army,  in  which  he  rose 
to  the  rank  of  major,  and  where  he  remained  until 
the  close  of  the  war. 

Charles  Pinckney  Sumner  was  a  graduate  of 
Harvard,  a  gentleman  of  high  culture  and  stern 
integrity,  accomplished  in  all  the  etiquette  of 
society  in  his  day,  and  noted  for  his  free  and 
genial  hospitality.  He  was  a  lawyer  of  eminence, 


22  LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER. 

and  was  for  some  years  sheriff  of  Suffolk  County. 
It  was  during  his  term  that  Boston  was  disgraced 
by  the  anti-slavery  riots,  which  opened  her  eyes 
to  the  true  character  of  the  slave  power,  and 
brought  her  into  the  front  ranks  in  the  battle  for 
freedom. 

In  the  year  1810  Mr.  Sumner  married  Relief 
Jacobs,  daughter  of  a  substantial  farmer  of  Han- 
over, in  "the  Old  Colony/'  who  became  the 
mother  of  nine  children. 

She  had  many  and  deep  afflictions.  Two  of 
her  beautiful  children  fell  at  her  side  in  their 
early  years ;  two  were  lost  at  sea ;  others  died  in 
their  full  manhood ;  and  for  many  years  she  knew 
the  heart  of  a  widow.  But  she  bore  her  sor- 
rows with  strong  trust  and  fortitude.  Rev.  Mr. 
Foote,  of  King's  Chapel,  who  was  her  pastor  in 
her  declining  years,  says  of  her,— 

"  Mrs.  Sumner  was  a  woman  of  retiring  sim- 
plicity of  life,  but  of  strong  and  heroic  traits  of 
character ;  and  those  who  knew  her  could  trace 
in  the  senator's  noblest  characteristics  a  direct 
inheritance  from  her.  The  lofty  and  resolute 
sense  of  duty  by  which  she  was  governed  was 
strikingly  illustrated  by  the  following  incident, 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNEB.  23 

which  occurred  while  she  was  on  her  death-bed. 
A  few  days  before  she  died,  as  a  friend  bent  over 
her  to  receive  what  she  supposed  to  be  her  dying 
message  to  her  son,  then  at  Washington,  during 
the  session  of  Congress,  she  caught  these  words 
from  the  failing  lips :  i  Tell  him  his  country  needs 
him  more  than  his  mother  does  now.'  He  re- 
turned, however,  instantly,  on  receiving  tidings 
of  her  fatal  illness,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of 
being  with  her  when  she  died."  * 


*  Matilda  (twin  sister  with  Charles)  died  in  March,  1832,  aged  21 
years ;  Jane  died  in  October,  1837,  aged  17  years ;  Mary  died  in 
October,  1844,  aged  22  years  ;  Horace  was  drowned  in  the  wreck  of 
the  ship  Elizabeth,  on  Long  Island,  July  16,  1850,  on  his  return 
from  abroad ;  Albert  was  lost  with  his  family  in  the  wreck  of  the 
Lyonnais,  November,  1856 ;  Henry  died  at  Orange,  N.  J.,  in  1856  ; 
George  died  October  6,  1863,  in  Boston,  aged  46  years.  One  child, 
Mrs.  Julia  Hastings,  of  San  Francisco,  is  still  living. 

George  Sumner  was  a  man  of  varied  accomplishments.  He  en- 
joyed the  advantages  of  study  at  the  foreign  universities  of  Berlin 
and  Heidelberg,  and  travelled  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  Like 
his  brother  Charles,  he  was  much  interested  in  international  law, 
and  in  the  political,  social,  and  philanthropic  institutions  of  differ- 
ent countries.  He  was  a  strong  foe  to  war  and  slavery.  He  wrote 
in  favor  of  the  Philadelphia  Penitentiary  System.  In  connection 
with  Dr.  S.  G.  Howe,  he  introduced  into  the  United  States  the  edu- 
cation of  idiots.  He  wrote  articles,  not  only  for  American,  but  for 
English,  French,  and  German  periodicals.  He  spent  many  years 
abroad,  and  was  often  consulted  by  foreign  governments  on  ques- 
tions of  political  economy.  De  Tocqueville  spoke  of  him  "  as  know- 
ing the  different  parties  and  politics  of  Europe  much  better  than 
any  European  with  whom  he  was  acquainted." 

In  1859,  within  less  than  five  months,  he  gave  one  hundred  and 


24         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

One  who  knew  Mrs.  Simmer,  and  who  saw  her 
when  her  son  was  rising  to  eminence,  noticed  the 
motherly  pride  which  she  would  not  conceal. 
When  asked  how  he  gained  so  many  and  great 
acquirements,  she  replied,  "  Charles,  when  a  boy 
was  a  good  scholar,  and  always  diligent  in  his 
studies."  Her  pride  was  not  vanity.  She  did 
not  boast  of  his  genius,  but  only  of  application 
and  industry.  Mrs.  Sumner  died  in  June,  1866, 
aged  eighty-one. 

But  not  to  his  mother  alone  belongs  the 
glory  of  rearing  such  a  son-  for  his  country  and 
for  humanity.  His  father  was  not  only  a  gentle- 
man and  a  scholar,  but  also  a  philanthropist  of 
the  purest  type,  whose  talents  were  not  spent  for 
self-adulation  or  ambition,  but  were  laid  on  the 
altar  to  whose  smoking  fagots  the  boy  that  bore 
his  name  was  a  new  torch,  to  alarm  the  oppressor, 
and  burn  up,  like  chaff,  his  imaginary  wealth.  He 
was  a  strong  anti- slavery  man,  when  anti- slavery 
men  were  few  and  their  principles  unpopular. 

two  lectures  in  towns  and  cities  of  the  United  States.  On  July  4 
of  that  year  he  delivered  the  Annual  Oration  before  the  municipal 
authorities  of  Boston,  which  was  spoken  of  as  an  "  admirable 
address."  The  orator  censured  in  severe  terms  the  Dred  Scott  de- 
cision of  Chief  Justice  Taney. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.         25 

He  was  also  a  great  advocate  of  peace  princi- 
ples. From  "  The  Compass,  a  Poetical  Perform- 
ance/' delivered  by  him  at  a  Literary  Exhibition, 
in  September,  1795,  at  Harvard  University,  we 
extract  the  following,  which  shows  the  seed  that 
bore  such  rich  fruits  of  justice,  philanthropy,  and 
peace  in  the  heart  of  his  son :  — 

"  We  antedate  the  time 

When  futile  war  shall  cease  through  every  clime, 
No  sanctioned  slavery  Afric's  sons  degrade, 
But  equal  rights  shall  equal  earth  pervade : 
When  fearless  Commerce,  by  the  compass  led, 
On  every  wave  her  sacred  flag  shall  spread ; 
With  liberal  course  to  either  pole  shall  run, 
Or  round  the  zodiac  travel  with  the  sun  ; 
No  narrow  treaty  sell  the  boundless  sea, 
Which  Nature's  charter  to  the  world  made  free ; 
When  all  the  compact  which  this  globe  shall  bind 
Shall  be  the  mutual  good  of  all  mankind." 

Charles  Pinckney  Sumner  was  the  last  high 
sheriff  who  wore  the  antique  dress  which  was  till 
then  here,  as  in  England,  the  badge  of  office ;  and 
it  is  said  that  it  accorded  well  with  his  command- 
ing person  and  dignified  bearing. 

Descended  from  a  hardy  stock  of  old  Kentish 
yeomanry,  men  noted  for  their  fine  physical  de- 
velopment, their  powers  of  endurance,  their  skill 
in  athletic  games,  and  their  bravery  in  battle,  — 


26         LIFE  OP  CHABLES  SUMNEB. 

and  in  later  times  from  men  who,  to  these  advan- 
tages and  qualities,  added  the  learning  of  the 
schools  and  the  graces  of  society,  —  Charles  Sum- 
ner  belonged  to  the  aristocracy  of  nature  and  of 
education,  rather  than  to  that  of  blood  or  of 
wealth. 

Increase  Sumner,  an  eloquent  man,  an  able 
judge,  and  one  of  the  governors  of  Massachu- 
setts, shows  the  principles  of  the  Sumner s,  in 
which  this  one,  their  brightest  ornament,  was 
reared.  Just  before  the  revolutionary  war  he 
wrote,  — 

"  The  man  who,  regardless  of  public  happiness, 
is  ready  to  fall  in  with  base  measures,  and  sacri- 
fice conscience,  honor,  and  his  country  merely  for 
his  own  advancement,  must  (if  not  wretchedly 
hardened)  feel  a  torture  the  intenseness  of  which 
nothing  in  this  world  can  equal." 

In  one  of  his  charges  as  judge,  he  said, 
"  America  furnishes  one  of  the  few  instances  of 
countries  where  the  blessings  of  civil  liberty  and 
the  rights  of  mankind  have  been  the  primary  ob- 
jects of  their  political  institutions ;  in  which  the 
rich  and  poor  are  equally  protected ;  where  the 
rights  of  conscience  are  fully  enjoyed ;  and  where 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.  27 

merit  and  ability  can  be  the  only  claim  to  the 
favor  of  the  public.  May  we  not,  then,  pronounce 
that  man  destitute  of  the  true  principles  of  liber- 
ty, and  unworthy  the  blessing  of  society,  who 
does  not,  at  all  times,  lend  his  aid  to  support  and 
sustain  a  government  ?  " 

This  man —  who  was  a  prince  and  a  ruler  in  the 
land  in  early  times  —  was  a  cousin  of  Charles 
Pinckney  Sumner,  and  was  the  son  of  a  yeoman 
of  Roxbury,  who  was  noted,  like  the  others  of  the 
name,  for  his  physical  strength,  and  also  for  his 
untiring  energy  and  ambition  in  the  sphere 
where  God  had  placed  him. 


28         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Childhood.  — -  School  Days.  —  Story  of  a  Stick.  — 
Enters  Harvard  University.  — r-  Severe  Applica- 
tion to  Study  and  Reading.  —  Trip  to  a  Brigh- 
ton Cattle,  Show. 

CHARLES  SUMNER  does  not  come  before  us  in 
his  boyhood  as  one  of  those  precocious  little 
book- worms  or  baby  philosophers  who  now  and 
then  startle  the  world  as  intellectual  monstrosi- 
ties, but  as  a  vigorous  boy,  naturally  studious 
and  thoughtful. 

His  splendid  physical  development,  which 
made  him,  in  manhood,  a  Saul  among  his  fellows, 
proves  conclusively  that  he  did  not  in  boyhood 
sit  bowed  and  moping  over  his  school  books 
without  exercise  or  recreation.  He  ran,  full 
of  glee,  down  Beacon  Hill,  and  over  the  Common, 
drawing  his  sled  to  the  coasting- ground  or  carry- 
ing his  boat  to  the  pond  ;  shouting  and  hallooing 
at  his  success,  just  as  the  boys  of  to-day  do  in 
the  same  play  and  at  the  same  places. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        29 

A  story  is  told  of  him  that  illustrates  one  trait 
of  his  character,  which  "  grew  with  his  growth 
and  strengthened  with  his  strength."* 

There  had  been  a  dispute  between  him  and 
some  other  boys  about  a  stick  of  which  he  had 
possession,  and  a  sharp  contest  ensued.  The 
world  was  full  of  sticks,  but  that  particular  one 
was  his  by  right,  and  he  meant  to  keep  it. 

The  others  pulled,  but  he  tightened  his  little 
fists  about  it,  and  held  bravely  on.  One  of  his 
antagonists  then  tried  a  new  game.  He  caught 
up  a  stone,  and  began  pounding  his  knuckles, 
sure  that  the  pain  would  cause  him  to  relax  his 

grip- 
But  little  Sumner  pressed  his   lips  together, 
and  still  held  on.     Blow  after  blow  fell  on  the 
delicate  hands  till  the  blood  began  to  flow. 

At  sight  of  this,  the  little  assailant  fled  in 
terror,  and  left  Sumner  in  possession  of  the  pre- 
cious stick,  and  of  the  consciousness  of  having 
maintained  his  rights. 

Little  Sumner  attended  both  private  and  public 

schools  in  Boston  until  he  was  ten  years  of  age. 

He  read  history,  which  was  his  delight,  and, 

without  advice   or  urgency  from   any   one,  he 


30  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

bought  with  his  spending-money  a  Latin  Gram- 
mar and  Reader,  and  had  made  some  little  pro- 
ficiency in  the  rudiments  of  that  language  before 
his  parents  knew  that  the  books  were  in  his 
possession.  He  studied  for  his  own  pleasure, 
rather  than  that  he  might  stand  well  in  his 
classes. 

In  his  eleventh  year,  he  entered  the  Boston 
Latin  School,  where  his  diligence  soon  gave  him 
a  high  standing,  under  the  instruction  of  Benja- 
min Gould,  an  eminent  man  of  that  -day  in  his 
profession.  Here  young  Sumner  took  prizes  for 
English  composition  and  Latin  poetry,  and  on 
graduating  received  the  Franklin  medal. 

He  entered  Harvard  when  only  fifteen  years 
of  age,  a  strong,  finely- developed  and  elegant- 
looking  boy,  and  gave  himself  up  to  hard  study 
with  as  much  earnestness  and  zeal  as  if  there 
was  no  such  thing  as  boyish  play  in  the  world. 

We  should  naturally  expect  that  a  youth  of 
such  striking1  appearance  and  studious  habits 
would  become  at  once  a  prodigy  in  college. 
But  it  was  not  so.  He  seems  to  have  been  re- 
markable there  only  for  his  correct  deportment 
and  his  severe  application  to  his  chosen  studies. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.         31 

His  aim  was*  not  for  *the  first  place  in  his  class, 
but  for  a  thorough  education ;  else  he  might  have 
gone  up  with  the  light  of  the  rocket,  and  then 
vanished  in  sudden  darkness,  as  do  not  a  few 
who  are  much  talked  of  in  college,  but  are 
never  heard  of  afterwards. 

He  applied  himself  not  alone  to  his  text-books ; 
he  read  very  widely,  storing  his  mind  with  the 
history  and  the  literature  of  many  lands,  thus 
transplanting  into  his  wondrous  memory  the 
flowers  with  which  the  writings  and  speeches 
of  future  years  are  graced. 

To  these  pursuits,  which  were  foreign  to  his 
class  studies,  he  devoted  the  early  hours  of 
morning,  pilfering  no  time  from  the  requirements 
of  the  appointed  course  for  studies  more  con- 
genial to  his  taste. 

He  also  read  far  into  the  night,  and  when 
his  less  studious  companions  returned  late  from 
Boston,  where  they  had  been  on  social  visits  or 
to  public  entertainments,  they  always  saw  the 
light  in  Sumner's  window,  reminding  them  that 
there  was  one  earnest  student  who  could  not  be 
drawn  away  from  his  books  by  the  allurements 
of  pleasure.  He  was  so  wedded  to  his  studies 


32  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

as  to  have  almost  no  time  for  what  is  called 
"  society  "  by  collegians. 

There  were  at  Harvard  at  the  same  time  with 
him  several  men  who  have  since  become  distin- 
guished as  reformers,  philanthropists,  and  in  the 
world  of  letters ;  men,  with  whom  the  boyish 
friendship  of  that  time  deepened  into  a  strong 
and  sympathetic  love,  which  encouraged  and 
strengthened  him  in  his  subsequent  battles  for 
the  right. 

While  we  have  no  record  of  remarkable 
brilliancy  at  college,  we  know  that  he  was 
studying  with  a  purpose,  and  also  that  he  kept 
himself  entirely  aloof  from  the  follies  and  vices 
which  were  then  regarded  as  almost  inseparable 
from  college  life,  but  which  social  advance  is  now 
putting  in  their  right  place.  His  natural  dig- 
nity, as  well  as  his  high  principles,  kept  him  from 
everything  that  would  wound  others  or  degrade 
himself. 

He  was  the  same  gentleman  at  heart  then  as 
afterwards  in  the  Senate,  when  he  had  acquired 
that  perfect  knowledge  of  -society  and  its  subtile 
etiquette  for  which  he  was  so  remarkable. 

At  that  early  period  he  was  as  considerate  as 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.  33 

he  was  in  after  years.  He  tried  every  action  by 
the  standard  of  right.  For  example,  while  he 
was  ever  kind  and  obliging  to  his  college  mates, 
and  ready  to  do  any  one  of  them  a  favor,  there 
was  one  positive  exception  —  no  lazy  fellow 
could  persuade  him  to  help  his  preparation  for 
the  recitations  in  Greek  and  Latin  by  translating 
his  lessons  for  him.  He  thought  it  wrong  to  en- 
courage laziness.  A  worker  himself,  he  was 
ready  to  help  others  work  in  a  good  cause  ;  but 
farther  he  would  not  go.  In  after  years  he  had 
little  patience  with  shirks  and  shams.  He  was 
genuine,  and  he  honored  genuine  worth  as  above 
all  price. 

The  only  time  we  hear  of  his  breaking  college 
rules  was  when,  very  desirous  of  attending  a 
cattle  show  at  Brighton,  he  set  out  with  a  friend 
without  permission. 

On  their  way,  the  truants  unfortunately  were 
overtaken  by  two  gentlemen  bound  in  the  same 
direction,  who  proved  to  be  their  fathers  ! 

"  Why,  Charles,"  asked  Mr.  Sumner  in  sur- 
prise, "  how  came  you  here  ?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  go  to  the  cattle  show/'  was  the 
reply  of  the  young  culprit. 
3 


34  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

"  Had  you  permission  to  leave  your  classes  ?  n 
asked  the  father. 

"  No  j  but  we  shall  lose  no  recitations  by  our 
absence/'  replied  the  student. 

And;  like  wise  men,  the  fathers  made  no 
further  objections.  So  the  boys  saw  the  cattle, 
and  got  back  to  Cambridge  in  season  to  avoid 
any  trouble  with  the  faculty. 

There  was,  doubtless,  then,  in  his  nature,  the 
incipient  seeds  of  that  delight  in  cattle  which 
made  him  in  after  years  such  an  adept  in 
the  science  of  stock-raising  —  a  branch  of  study 
so  widely  differing  from  his  life's  work. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  35 


CHAPTER  III. 

Sumner's  Law  Studies.  —  Literary  Work.  —  His 
First  Great  Sorrow.  —  Seeking  for  a  Compli- 
ment. —  Students  changing  Plans.  —  Failing 
Health. 

CHARLES  SUMNER  graduated  from  Harvard  in 

1830,  being  then  nineteen  years  old. 

The  following  year  was  spent  at  home  in  pri- 
vate study  and  reading,  and  in  preparation  for 
his  next  step  in  life. 

He    entered   the   Cambridge   Law   School  in 

1831.  Judge  Story  was  not  long  in  discovering 
those  rare  qualities  and  that  untiring  diligence 
which  afterwards  made  him  so  great  a  favorite 
with  that  eminent  jurist. 

It  would  seem  that  the  literature  and  princi- 
ples of  his  future  profession,  rather  than  its 
practice,  were  the  alluring  charm  to  him,  and  to 
these  he  applied  himself  with  characteristic 
ardor,  amounting  almost  to  a  passion. 


36  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

He  was  never  satisfied  with  accepting  anything 
second-hand,  but  invariably  went  to  the  original 
sources  for  the  facts  and  arguments. 

He  read  Kent's  Commentaries  in  a  way  peculiar 
to  himself,  carefully  looking  up  and  examining 
every  case  referred  to. 

He  began  his  researches  in  the  law  far  back  in 
the  rude  Norman,  proceeding  downward  to  the 
most  recent  authorities. 

So  familiar  was  he  with  the  Law  Library  at 
Cambridge  (of  which  he  was  librarian),  that  it  is 
said  he  could  go  into  it  in  the  dark,  and  take  any 
book  he  wanted  from  a  shelf. 

His  great  power  of  acquiring  and  retaining 
knowledge  soon  distinguished  him  above  his 
fellows. 

While  yet  a  student,  Mr.  Sunnier  became  a 
contributor  to  the  literature  of  his  profession, 
and  published  several  articles  in  the  "  American 
Jurist"  and  "Boston  Law  Quarterly,"  all  of 
which  were  marked  by  deep  research,  breadth 
of  thought,  and  subtile  ingenuity,  which  gave 
great  promise  of  future  usefulness. 

In  1832  Mr.  Sumner  met  the  first  great  sorrow 
of  his  life.  The  sister,  whose  being  was  almost 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         37 

one  with  his  own,  who  had  been  his  playmate  in 
babyhood  and  in  childhood,  his  admiration,  his 
pride,  and  his  good  angel  in  youth  and  dawning 
manhood,  a  girl  remarkable  for  her  personal 
beauty  and  for  her  loveliness  of  character,  was 
removed  by  death,  leaving  a  void  such  as  is  sel- 
dom felt  in  the  heart  and  the  life  of  a  man  by  the 
loss  of  a  sister. 

We  can  imagine  how  dark  a  shadow  the  wing 
of  death  cast  over  every  page  of  his  books,  and 
how  the  brightness  of  the  future  he  had  pictured 
for  himself  faded,  now  that  his  other  self  was  no 
longer  there  to  sympathize  in  his  labor  and  to 
triumph  in  his  success.  Their  double  heart  was 
divided,  with  bitter  pangs  to  the  living ;  and  even 
when  the  keenness  of  the  pain  had  passed  away, 
and  time  had  healed  —  as  it  always  does  in  mercy 
—  the  gaping  wound,  the  memory  of  that  sweet 
face  and  that  pure  life  was  enshrined,  almost  as 
an  idol,  in  the  heart  of  the  great  man,  coming 
back  to  him  in  his  dreams,  and  softening  the 
spirit  which  was  in  danger  of  being  hardened 
by  intercourse  with  bitter  foes  and  wavering 
friends  in  his  mighty  struggle  for  principle. 

Like   most  brilliant    and  ambitious   students, 


38  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

Sumner  was  possessed  by  a  strong  love  of  appro- 
bation ;  so  marked  at  this  time  as  to  amount  to 
almost  a  weakness. 

A  classmate,  now  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Suffolk  Bar,  relates  the  following,  which  shows 
that,  high  as  he  stood  with  his  instructors,  he 
was  not  above  the  reach  of  an  occasional  rebuff 
from  them. 

The  two  students  were  together  one  day  in 
Sumner's  room,  when  they  saw  Professor  Ash- 
mun  approaching.  Sumner  playfully  remarked, 
"  Now  I  am  going  to  get  a  compliment  from 
the  professor." 

He  gave  his  teacher  a  polite  reception,  and 
when  he  was  seated,  offered  him  a  cigar.  As  soon 
as  Professor  Ashmun  was  in  a  happy  mood,  Sumner 
began  by  saying,  "  There  is  a  lawyer  down  on 
the  Cape  who  says  he  can  beat  any  man  in  the 
state  at  special  pleading,  but  that  —  Ashmun." 

An  expression  of  pleasure  passed  over  the  pro- 
fessor's countenance,  and  Sumner  proceeded. 

He  passed  his  hand  over  his  forehead,  with  an 
air  of  discouragement,  and  said,  "  As  for  myself, 
I  feel  that  I  don't  know  anything, "  and  then 
paused  for  the  expected  reassuring  compliment ; 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  39 

when,  to  the  amazement  of  both,  the  professor 
cried  out,  in  a  stern  voice,  "No,  you  don't 
know  anything;  and  what's  more,  you  never 
will." 

This  rebuke  was  so  unlocked  for  and  so 
crushing,  that,  although  he  must  have  known  that 
it  was  spoken  in  the  spirit  of  a  joke,  Sumner  felt 
it  keenly.  His  classmate,  seeing  this,  came  to  his 
relief  by  changing. the  subject.  That  classmate 
never  knew  him  to  fish  for  a  compliment  again 
while  in  the  Law  School. 

Mr.  Sumner  had  a  classmate  who  was  from  one 
of  our  most  cultivated  and  wealthy  families,  and 
with  whom  he  was  on  terms  of  the  closest 
intimacy. 

The  difference  in  their  circumstances  —  al- 
though Mr.  Sumner  was  by  no  means  poor  — 
was  very  great.  Not  long  before  his  death,  in 
speaking  of  that  friend,  who  was  still  a  friend,  he 
said,  "  I  well  remember  the  feelings  I  had  when 

's  mother  used  to  drive  over  to  Cambridge  to 

see  her  son  in  her  fine  carriage,  as  my  mother 
could  not  do." 

This  friend  had  at  that  time  a  high  ambition 
for  being  a  statesman,  and  used  to  dwell  on  his 


40         LIFE  OP  CHARLES  8UMNEB. 

plans,  when  Simmer's  desire  was  to  be  a  jurist, 
with  no  dream  of  the  popular  favor  or  the  popular 
fickleness  which  he  was  afterwards  to  enjoy  and  to 
suffer,  and  which  cried  for  years,  "  A.god  has  come 
down  to  us  in  the  likeness  of  a  man  ; "  and  again, 
"  He  hath  a  devil,"  and  almost  robbed  him  of  the 
coveted  name  of  "  patriot." 

The  young  aspirant  for  honor  in  the  higher 
walks  of  law  became  a  statesman,  and  he  who 
desired  to  shine  in  the  forum  has  filled  the  no 
less  noble  sphere  of  a  philanthropist ;  and  al- 
though both  changed  their  plans,  they  wrought 
through  life,  hand  in  hand,  and  shoulder  to  shoul- 
der, in  the  mighty  work  for  liberty  and  equality, 
and  the  living  one  now  mourns  for  the  dead  as 
for  a  brother. 

Mr.  Sumner's  fine  constitution  was  not  proof 
against  the  heavy  burdens  he  was  laying  upon  it 
by  his  close  and  unremitting  study.  At  the  first 
peep  of  day  he  was  poring  over  his  books,  which 
he  never  closed  till  the  small  hours  of  the  next 
morning  sounded  out  their  warnings  from  the 
clocks  in  the  towers.  He  confessed  afterwards 
that  he  always  studied  eighteen  hours  out  of 
the  twenty-four ;  so  we  need  not  wonder,  espe- 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.         41 

cially  when  we  know  that  members  of  his  family 
have  died  with  pulmonary  disease,  that  his  health 
gave  way,  and  that  he  at  one  time  seemed  draw- 
ing near  to  the  grave,  with  every  symptom  of  con- 
sumption. This  involved  a  suspension  of  study, 
and  months  of  quiet  and  rest ;  after  which  he  was 
able  again  to  return  to  his  work  at  Cambridge. 


42  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Returning  Health.  —  Graduates  from  the  Law 
School.  —  Enters  the  Law  Office  of  Hand  and 
Fiske.  —  His  Aim  in  Life.  —  A  Winter  in  Wash- 
ington. —  Attentions  from  prominent  Men  at  the 
Bar.  —  Editorial  Work.  —  Admission  to  the 
Bar.  —  Testimony  by  a  Fellow- Student.  —  Love 
of  Approbation.  —  Declines  a  Professorship  at 
the  Law  School. 

WITH  the  passing  years,  Mr.  Simmer  gained 
that  great  physical  strength  and  vigor  for  which 
he  was  remarkable  through  life. 

On  leaving  the  Law  School,  he  entered  the 
office  of  Rand  and  Fiske.  Mr.  Rand  was  a  pro- 
found lawyer  and  a  voracious  reader  of  law 
books.  The  Hon.  G.  W.  Warren,  a  fellow- 
student  in  that  office,  speaks  of  Mr.  Sumner  as 
diligently  improving  the  rare  opportunities  there 
afforded  him  of  perfecting  his  legal  knowledge, 
and  in  particular  of  becoming  acquainted  with 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.         43 

the  latest  English  law  publications,  which  Mr. 
Rand  regularly  procured  from  abroad. 

Judge  Story  was  now  a  frequent  visitor  at  the 
office,  and  there  he  and  Mr.  Rand  discussed  the 
contents  of  these  publications  and  other  legal 
questions. 

A  mind  so  earnest  and  receptive  as  Sumner's 
of  course  drank  in  with  avidity  the  opinions 
of  these  masters  in  the  law ;  his  special  object 
being  at  this  time  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the 
practice  of  the  law,  which  was,  as  we  have  seen, 
much  less  attractive  to  him  than  the  study  of 
principles. 

His  ambition  was  still  to  be  a  jurist.  In  his 
eulogy  on  Judge  Story,  delivered  some  twelve 
years  after  this,  he  reveals  his  own  aspirations. 
He  says,  "  The  function  of  a  lawyer  or  judge  — 
both  practising  law  —  is  unlike  that  of  a  jurist, 
who,  whether  judge  or  lawyer,  examines  every 
principle  in  the  light  of  science,  and,  while  doing 
justice,  seeks  to  widen  and  confirm  the  means  of 
justice  hereafter.  .  .  . 

"  Such  a  character  does  not  live  for  the  present 
only,  whether  in  time  or  place.  Ascending  above 
its  temptations,  yielding  neither  to  the  love  of 


44  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  8UMNER. 

gain  nor  to  the  seductions  of  ephemeral  praise, 
he  perseveres  in  those  serene  labors  which  help 
to  build  the  mighty  dome  of  justice,  beneath 
which  all  men  are  to  seek  shelter  and  peace." 

With  these  views,  Mr.  Sumner  studied  as  a 
philosopher  rather  than  as  a  lawyer,  and  looked 
on  the  law  not  so  much  as  it  is,  but  as  it  should 
be.  The  common  law,  though  in  its  spirit  favor- 
ing personal  freedom,  originated  in  a  compara- 
tively rude  period,  and  was  based  not  so  much 
on  the  principles  of  right  and  justice  as  on  con- 
venience and  expediency  ;  and  its  rules  are  often 
arbitrary. 

Mr.  Sumner,  in  his  philosophical  spirit,  seeking 
for  the  foundation  of  rules  and  statutes  in  jus- 
tice, would  almost  certainly  have  failed  to  attain 
the  highest  distinction  in  the  technical  practice 
of  the  profession.  Such  men  as  he  have  a  grand 
and  beneficent  work  to  do,  which  is  more  and 
more  inspiring  the  higher  class  of  students  of 
the  law,  namely,  to  bring  statutes  and  rules  into 
closer  harmony  with  the  principles  of  right,  and 
to  infuse  into  the  whole  practice  a  higher  and 
nobler  spirit. 

Although  Mr.  Sumner  was,  a  few  years  after 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  45 

this,  summoned  from  his  chosen  path  of  serene 
speculation  to  the  public  strife  of  politics,  yet  he 
carried  with  him  his  lofty  ideal  of  justice,  and,  as 
a  statesman,  rather  than  as  a  politician,  gave 
the  weight  of  his  great  and  well- furnished  mind 
to  bring  the  national  statutes  and  practice,  both 
in  our  domestic  and  foreign  relations,  up  to  the 
standard  of  eternal  right.  This  was  his  test  of 
all  laws  and  all  measures. 

About  this  time  he  spent  a  winter  in  Washing- 
ton, little  dreaming  of  the  scenes  through  which 
he  was  there  to  pass,  or  the  mighty  work  he  was 
to  accomplish  in  the  halls  of  legislation.  His 
personal  presence  and  fine  address  won  friends 
and  admirers  for  him,  young,  as  he  was,  among 
the  lights  of  the  bar. 

Much  attention  was  shown  him  by  the  judges 
and  practitioners  in  the  Supreme  Court.  Even 
Chief  Justice  Marshall  extended  to  him  civili- 
ties very  unusual  for  a  man  in  his  position  to 
tender  to  a  mere  law  student.  He  doubtless  saw 
his  future  greatness  through  the  veil  of  his  youth. 

Before  being  admitted  to  the  bar,  Sumner  be- 
came chief  editor  of  the  "  American  Jurist/7  and 
conducted  it  with  singular  ability  for  a  period  of 


46  LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

three  years,  doing  much  of  the  writing  himself; 
bringing  forth  in  his  reviews  of  law  books  the 
varied  stores  of  learning  he  had  been  gathering 
during  his  early  and  late  hours  of  research  at 
Cambridge. 

He  was  only*  twenty-three  years  of  age  when, 
in  1834,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Worcester, 
with  the  reputation  of  being  the  most  learned 
young  lawyer  in  the  country. 

He  now  opened  an  office  in  Boston,  and  set  sail 
on  the  sea  of  life  with  a  favoring  breeze,  and 
with  a  strong  hand  on  the  helm. 

Not  long  after  .this  he  became  reporter  of  the 
United  States  Circuit  Court,  and  published  three 
volumes  of  reports,  the  decisions  being  .those  of 
Judge  Story,  and  known  as  "  Sumner's  Reports." 

He  had  now  formed  an  idea  of  going  abroad, 
and,  with  this  in  view,  held  himself  aloof  from  any 
engagements  that  would  interfere  with  his  pur- 
pose. 

During  three  years  he  filled  the  place  of  Judge 
Story  at  the  Law  School,  hearing  recitations  (for 
lectures  had  not  yet  been  introduced  in  the  Law 
School),  and  also  performed,  for  a  time,  the  duties 
of  Professor  Greenleaf,  in  his  absence. 


LIFE   OP   CHARLES  SUMNER.  47 

All  this  time  he  was  unremitting  in  his  labors, 
making  constitutional  law  and  the  law  of  nations 
a  specialty. 

Soon  after  his  service  in  the  Law  School,  he  was 
invited  to  a  professorship  at  Harvard ;  and  on  his 
declining  to  accept  it,  the  offer  was  repeated,  with 
the  additional  inducement  of  a  chair  in  the  law 
faculty. 

But  much  as  Mr.  Sumner  appreciated  the  honor 
and  usefulness  of  the  position,  he  shrank  from 
confining  himself  to  those  regular  duties  of  a  pro- 
fessorship which  would  interfere  with  the  course 
of  study  and  travel  he  had  laid  out  for  himself. 

A  lawyer,  who  was  a  student  of  Sumner's  at 
this  time,  speaks  of  him  as  an  admirable  teacher, 
kind  and  fascinating  in  his  manner,  and  possessed 
of  a  natural  dignity,  which  had  in  it  no  trace  of 
affectation.  His  ample  store  of  learning,  his  rare 
power  of  communication,  and  his  genial  spirit 
won  the  respect  and  affection  of  the  students. 
There  was  observable  at  the  same  time  a  measure 
of  vanity,  which,  in  his  case,  seemed  to  heighten 
one's  estimate  of  his  character,  because  it  revealed 
that  simplicity  and  truthfulness  which  could  not 
conceal  the  pardonable  weakness.  In  his  subse- 


48         LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

quent  life  we  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to  see 
the  real  greatness  of  the  man  in  that,  while  so 
desirous  of  the  good  opinion  of  others,  he  could 
sacrifice  the  dearest  friendships  and  the  most 
enticing  social  position,  and  incur  odium  and  con- 
tempt, for  the  sake  of  his  convictions ;  so  over- 
powering was  his  regard  for  truth  and  justice. 

We  cannot  doubt  but  the  stand  which  he  felt 
compelled  to  take,  at  different  times  in  after  years, 
against  the  wishes  and  expectations  of  his  friends, 
and  against  his  own  seeming  good,  cost  his  sensi- 
tive spirit  many  a  pang  of  agony ;  for  he  was  not 
the  cold,  calculating,  overbearing  man  that  some 
have  taken  him  to  be.  He  loved  to  stand  high 
in  public  esteem,  to  be  caressed  and  honored ; 
but  he  loved  more  to  be  true  to  conscience  and 
to  God. 

Those  who  knew  him  in  his  youth  and  early 
manhood,  who  saw  him  in  his  most  familiar  hours, 
when  his  true  character  appeared  without  any 
temptation  to  disguise,  assure  us  that  he  was 
singularly  simple  hearted  and  guileless.  And  as 
he  was  in  his  youth,  so  he  was,  in  all  his  subse- 
quent career.  In  this  view  we  can  hardly  call 
his  love  of  approbation  an  infirmity. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         49 

There 'are  those  who  affect  to  disregard  what 
others  think  of  them,  and  glory  in  their  inde- 
pendence of  public  opinion.  But  this,  so  far  from 
being  a  virtue,  or  even  an  infirmity,  is  a  grievous 
defect,  and  may  become  a  vice.  It  is  a  sign  of 
nobleness  to  desire  the  good  opinion  of  the  good ; 
and  he  who  really  disregards  it  has  a  mean  and 
despicable  character.  When,  as  in  the  case  of 
Lord  Bacon,  vanity  becomes  an  idol,  demanding 
the  incense  which  should  be  offered  to  honor  and 
justice,  it  deserves  only  reprobation  and  con- 
tempt. But  when  a  man  is  doing  right,  and  de- 
sires that  other  men  should  know  and  appreciate 
his  efforts,  and  honor  him  for  them,  it  is,  to  say 
the  least,  pardonable,  especially  when  his  work, 
and  not  himself  alone,  is  kept  prominent. 


50  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Visit  to  Europe.  —  Letter  of  Judge  Story.  —  Inci- 
dent in  Westminster  Hall.  —  Testimony  of  Eng- 
lish Judges. —  Baron  Parke's  Appreciation  of 
Mr.  Sumner's  Learning.  —  In  Paris.  —  In  Ger- 
many. —  In  Italy. 

FORTY  years  ago  foreign  travel  for  the  pur- 
poses of  enjoyment  and  study  was  the  lot  of  a 
favored  few,  and  not,  as  now,  an  event  in  the 
life  of  almost  every  literary  and  professional  man. 

In  the  fall  of  1837,  Mr.  Sumner,  then  twenty- 
six  years  old,  carried  out  his  long- cherished  plan 
of  visiting  Europe. 

His  previous  studies  had  formed  a  fitting  prep- 
aration for  foreign  travel.  He  was  well  read  in 
the  literature,  the  history,  and  the  political  insti- 
tutions of  England  and  the  countries  on  the  con- 
tinent. In  matters  of  art  he  had  formed  a  taste, 
and  knew  what  were  the  masterpieces  and  where 
they  were  to  be  found. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         51 

Full  of  scholarly  enthusiasm,  he  longed  to  visit 
the  world-renowned  universities  of  Europe,  to  see 
and  converse  with  its  great  men,  —  its  scholars,  its 
jurists,  its  statesmen,  to  examine  its  libraries 
and  art  treasures,  and  to  inform  himself  more 
thoroughly  as  to  the  peculiar  features  of  its  civili- 
zation. The  reputation  for  scholarship  which  he 
carried  with  him,  his  gentlemanly  bearing,  his  un- 
assuming modesty,  his  rare  conversational  powers, 
and  the  valuable  letters  he  took  from  Judge  Story 
and  other  gentlemen  of  European  fame,  gave  him 
at  once  such  access  to  the  highest  circles  of  so- 
ciety as  is  rarely  enjoyed  by  so  young  a  man  in  a 
foreign  land. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  one  of  Judge 
Story's  letters  addressed  to  a  gentleman  in  Lon- 
don, dated  November  3,  1837:  — 

"Mr.  Sumner  is  a  practising  lawyer  at  the 
Boston  bar,  of  very  high  reputation  for  his  years, 
and  already  giving  the  promise  of  the  most  emi- 
nent distinction  in  his  profession ;  his  literary  and 
judicial  attainments  are  truly  extraordinary. 

"  His  private  character,  also,  is  of  the  best  kind 
for  purity  and  propriety ;  but  to  accomplish  him- 
self more  thoroughly  in  the  great  objects  of  his 


52         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

profession — not  merely  to  practise,  but  to  ex- 
tend the  boundaries  in  the  science  of  law,  —  I  am 
anxious  that  he  should  possess  the  means  of  visit- 
ing the  courts  of  Westminster  Hall  under  favor- 
able auspices ;  and  I  shall  esteem  it  a  personal 
favor  if  you  can  give  him  any  facilities  in  this 
particular." 

Mr.  Sumner  first  visited  England,  where  he 
spent  nearly  a  year,  improving  every  moment  in 
study,  in  careful  observation  of  men  and  things, 
in  attendance  upon  the  debates  of  Parliament,  the 
courts,  and  scientific  associations ;  finding  elegant 
and  most  congenial  relaxation  in  the  circles  of 
the  great  and  titled,  where  he  was  ever  wel- 
come. 

More  than  once  he  was  invited  to  sit  with  the 
judges  in  Westminster  Hall.  At  one  time,  dur- 
ing the  progress  of  a  trial,  a  point  arose  where 
there  seemed  to  be  no  precedent.  The  lord 
chief  justice,  turning  to  Sumner,  said,  "  Can  you 
inform  me  whether  there  are  any  American  de- 
cisions upon  the  point  in  question?  "  "  No,  your 
lordship/'  was  the  reply ;  "  but  this  point  has  been 
decided  in  your  lordship's  own  court  in  such  a 
case,"  giving  him  the  citation.  This  remarkable 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.         53 

readiness  gave  him  e*clat  throughout  the  kingdom. 
The  above  is  related  by  a  former  classmate,  now 
a  gentleman  of  standing  in  this  city. 

The  letters  which  so  close  an  observer  wrote 
to  his  friends  at  home  must  have  been  full  of 
interest.  That  they  were  of  this  character  ap- 
pears from  the  following  letter  written  by  Judge 
Story  to  Mr.  Sumner,  August  11,  1838 :  — 

"  I  have  received  all  your  letters,  and  have  de- 
voured them  with  unspeakable  delight.  All  the 
family  have  heard  them  read  aloud,  and  all  join 
in  their  expressions  of  pleasure.  You  are  now 
exactly  where  I  should  wish  you  to  be  —  among 
the  educated,  the  literary,  the  noble,  and,  though 
last,  not  least,  the  learned  of  England,  of  good 
Old  England,  our  mother-land,  God  bless  her ! " 

Mr.  Sumner  spent  several  months  in  Paris, 
where,  as  in  England,  he  was  industriously  em- . 
ployed  in  study  and  in  converse  with  men  emi- 
nent in  literature  and  law.  It  was  here  that  he 
met  our  distinguished  countryman,  Mr.  Wheaton, 
with  whom  he  had  much  conversation  upon  inter- 
national law,  and  to  whom  he  suggested  the  plan 
of  the  great  work  on  that  subject  afterwards  writ- 
ten by  that  eminent  jurist. 


54  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

It  was  there  that  he  prepared  an  essay  upon  a 
subject  then  much  discussed  in  foreign  circles, 
namely,  the  north-eastern  boundary  of  the  United 
States,  which  was  then  in  dispute  between  this 
country  and  Great  Britain.  The  paper  was,  like 
all  Mr.  Simmer's  efforts,  exhaustive  and  satis- 
factory, and  attracted  much  attention  at  home 
and  abroad. 

In  Germany,  and  in  particular  at  Heidelberg, 
he  spent  some  time,  and  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  eminent  jurists  and  scholars,  such  as  Savigny, 
Humboldt,  and  Ritter. 

His  visit  to  Italy  was  to  him  one  of  peculiar 
delight.  It  is  said  that  here  he  used  to  spend 
all  the  day  in  the  libraries  and  galleries  of  art,  and 
nearly  all  the  night  in  study,  perfecting  himself 
in  the  rich  literature  which  had  attracted  Milton 
before  him,  a  young  and  enthusiastic  student  like 
himself.  One  can  easily  imagine  the  pleasure 
which  such  classic  scenes,  where  the  ancient  and 
the  modern  combine  to  make  Italy,  and  especially 
Rome,  so  conspicuous  in  the  annals  of  the  world, 
in  poetry,  history,  law,  government,  and  art,  must 
have  awakened  in  Mr.  Sumner's  mind.  He  had 
all  the  tastes  and  instincts  of  a  scholar,  and  in 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.         55 

the  serene  pursuits  of  literature  and  law  he  waa 
here,  in  his  own  purpose,  laying  the  foundation 
of  a  career  devoted  to  the  quiet  enlargement  of 
human  knowledge  and  human  happiness. 

Little  did  he  then  imagine  that  this  cultivation 
of  literature  and  art  was  to  furnish  but  the  bright 
gilding  of  a  sterner  life,  engaged  in  heroic  bat- 
tling with  the  greatest  wrong  of  the  age,  as  the 
foremost  champion  of  the  poor  and  oppressed. 

But  so  it  was  appointed,  that  Liberty,  outraged 
in  millions  of  slaves,  was  preparing  for  herself  a 
leader,  like  Moses,  "  learned  in  all  the  wisdom  " 
of  the  age,  who  should  compel  respect  and  con- 
sideration for  a  cause  then  intensely  unpopular. 

The  reputation  which  Mr.  Sumner  left  behind 
him  in  England  appears  from  the  following  inci- 
dent, referred  to  in  Loring's  "  Hundred  Boston 
Orators":  — 

On  an  insurance  question  before  the  Court  of 
Exchequer,  one  of  the  counsel  having  cited  an 
American  case,  Baron  Parke,  one  of  the  oldest  of 
the  English  judges,  asked  him  from  what  book  he 
quoted.  "  Sumner's  Reports,"  he  replied.  "  Is 
that,"  asked  Baron  Rolfe,  "  the  Mr.  Sumner  who 
was  once  in  England  ?  "  Being  answered*in  the 


56         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

affirmative,  Baron  Parke  replied,  "  We  shall  not 
consider  it  entitled  to  less  attention  because  re- 
ported by  a  gentleman  whom  we  all  knew  and 
respected." 

The  year  after  his  return  from  England,  the 
"  London  Quarterly  Review,"  alluding  to  his  visit, 
said,  "  He  presents  in  his  own  person  a  decisive 
proof  that  an  American  gentleman,  without  of- 
ficial rank  or  wide-spread  reputation,  by  dint 
of  courtesy,  candor,  an  entire  absence  of  preten- 
sion, an  appreciating  spirit,  and  a  cultivated  mind, 
may  be  received  on  a  perfect  footing  of  equality 
in  the  best  circles,  social,  political,  and  intellec- 
tual ;  which,  be  it  observed,  are  hopelessly  inac- 
cessible to  the  itinerant  note-taker,  who  never 
gets  beyond  the  outskirts  of  the  show-houses." 

In  the  year  1840,  Mr.  Sumner  returned  home. 
As  might  be  expected  from  his  antecedents  and 
his  rare  personal  accomplishments,  he  was  a  wel- 
come guest  in  the  most  refined  circles.  The 
literary  notables  of  Boston  and  vicinity  were 
proud  of  his  acquaintance  and  friendship. 

His  foreign  studies,  especially  in  literature  and 
art,  had  rendered  the  practice  of  the  law  still  less 
attractive  to  him  than  before ;  and  he  was  now 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         57 

chiefly  known  as  an  elegant  scholar,  and  a  dev- 
otee of  the  law  in  its  literature  and  principles. 
His  edition  of  Vesey's  Keports,  in  twenty  vol- 
umes, published  from  1844  to  1846,  show  the  bent 
of  his  mind  and  the  affluence  of  his  learning. 


58  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SDMNER. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

State  of  the  Country.  —  Slave-Trade. — Missouri 
Compromise.  —  Change  in  Southern  Sentiment. 
—  Opposition  at  the  North.  —  Change  at  the 
North.  —  Anti-Slavery  Feeling. 

BEFORE  entering  upon  the  public  life  of  Mr. 
Sumner,  it  will  be  proper  to  consider  the  state  of 
the  country,  as  regards  the  institution  of  slavery, 
previous  to  that  period ;  for  to  the  overthrow  of 
that  system  his  public  life  was  mainly  devoted. 
Where  was  the  slavery  question  when  he  took  it 
to  his  great  heart  ? 

Three  years  before  his  birth,  the  foreign  slave- 
trade  had  ended.  As  it  was  still  clandestinely 
carried  on,  the  importation  of  slaves  into  the 
United  States  was,  twelve  years  after,  declared 
to  be  piracy,  and  made  punishable  with  death. 
But  the  domestic  slave-trade  —  that  is,  between 
the  slave  states  —  was  still  carried  on,  and  with 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         59 

increasing  vigor.  It  was  attended  with  many 
horrors.  Many  free  negroes  fell  a  prey  to  kid- 
nappers, and  were  reduced  to  slavery.  No  less 
than  fifteen  thousand  slaves  were  annually  im- 
ported from  the  more  northern  of  the  slave  states 
into  the  distant  South.  Virginia,  especially,  be- 
came the  "  negro-raising  state  for  other  states." 

After  the  war  of  1812,  "  the  demand  for  slave 
labor  greatly  increased,  and  the  price  of  slaves 
was  much  advanced."  The  conscience  of  the 
South,  which,  in  spite  of  slavery,  had  been,  to 
no  small  extent,  on  the  side  of  freedom,  began 
rapidly  to  harden.  As  slavery  became  more  prof- 
itable, it  was  viewed  with  less  abhorrence,  and 
its  removal,  which  had  been  talked  of  even  at  the 
South  as  a  most  desirable  event,  at  some  future 
day,  was  now  indefinitely  postponed.  Ere  long 
slavery  was  declared  to  be  a  blessing  to  the  ne- 
gro race.  It  was  a  "  patriarchal,"  it  was  a  "  mis- 
sionary "  institution.  By  these  cheats  practised 
upon  conscience,  the  South  became  more  and 
more  wedded  to  slavery.  The  great  curse  of 
our  nation  was  gaining  new  strength  every  day. 

When  young  Sumner  was  nine  years  old,  an 
important  event  occurred,  which  afterwards, 


60        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

when  the  lad  had  grown  to  be  a  man,  and  was  a 
senator  at  Washington,  became  the  occasion  of 
calling  forth  his  indignant  eloquence.  We  refer 
to  the  Missouri  Compromise,  as  it  was  called, 
which  was  effected  in  1820.  This  Compromise 
was  the  result  of  a  mighty  struggle  between 
the  free  North  and  the  slaveholding  South.  The 
Territory  of  Missouri  had  applied  for  admission  as 
a  state.  The  North  wished  to  exclude  slavery, 
the  South  to  allow  it.  The  contest  was  waged 
long  and  fiercely.  It  ended  in  a  compromise,  by 
which  something  was  granted  to  freedom,  but 
much  more  was  gained  by  slavery.  Missouri  came 
in  as  a  slave  state,  and  slavery  was  forever  pro- 
hibited north  of  thirty-six  degrees  thirty  minutes 
north  latitude ;  but  this  did  not  express  the  whole 
result.  The  Compromise  was  a  real  triumph  for 
the  South.  It  was  simply  a  politic  measure  on 
their  part  for  effecting  a  new  extension  of 
slavery.  When  another  extension  was  desired,  a 
new  compromise  could  be  concocted,  or  the  old 
one  annulled  —  which  was  actually  done  in  1850. 
"  The  Missouri  struggle,  which  so  aroused  and 
called  into  action  the  vital  forces  of  freedom  and 
slavery,  demonstrated  the  startling  fact  that  the 


LIFE   OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  61 

race  of  Southern  statesmen  who  believed  slavery 
to  be  a  temporary  evil,  to  be  abolished  at  some 
future  day,  and  in  some  unforeseen  way,  had 
passed  away."  Even  Jefferson,  who  had  pictured 
the  evils  of  slavery  in  the  darkest  colors,  and  who 
"  had  once  prepared  a  plan  for  the  prohibition  of 
slavery  in  all  the  territory  from  the  Lakes  to  the 
Gulf,  became  alarmed,  and  shrunk  appalled  be- 
fore the  fury  of  the  strife,  declaring  that  it  fell 
upon  his  ear  '  like  the  fire-bell  at  midnight.'  "  * 
So  with  Madison  and  Monroe. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  people  of  the  entire 
North,  without  respect  to  party,  were  aroused  by 
this  new  attitude  of  the  slave  power.  They 
were  alarmed  by  the  further  extension  of  a  sys- 
tem which  they  had  fondly  hoped  would  gradu- 
ally disappear.  The  future  assumed  a  more 
gloomy  aspect. 

"  The  legislature  of  Pennsylvania  unanimous- 
ly opposed  the  existence  of  slavery  in  Mis- 
souri. Their  resolutions  declared  l  that  they 
are  persuaded  that  to  open  the  fertile  region 
of  the  West  to  a  servile  race  would  tend  to  in- 
crease their  number  beyond  all  past  example, 

*  Eise  and  Fall  of  the  Slave  Power  in  America,  by  Henry  Wilson. 


62  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

would  open  a  new  and  steady  market  for  the  law- 
less venders  of  human  flesh,  and  render  all 
schemes  for  obliterating  this  foul  blot  upon  the 
American  character  useless  and  unavailing.7  .  .  . 
And  they  invoked  the  several  states, '  by  the  duty 
they  owe  to  the  Deity,  by  the  veneration  which 
they  entertain  for  the  memories  of  the  founders  of 
the  republic,  and  by-  a  tender  regard  for  poster- 
ity, to  protest  against  its  adoption,  to  refuse  to 
covenant  with  crime,  and  to  limit  the  range  of  an 
evil  that  already  hangs  in  awful  boding  over  so 
large  a  portion  of  the  Union.'  " 

These  remonstrances  against  the  organization 
of  new  slave  states,  and  the  extension  of  the 
curse  of  slavery,  were  sincere  and  earnest ; 
but  when,  after  a  struggle,  victory  fell  to  the 
South,  the  moral  effect  was  disastrous.  The  free 
sentiment  of  the  North,  thus  baffled  and  humili- 
ated, began  to  show  signs  of  weakness  and  dis- 
couragement. "Freedom  became  timid,  hesi- 
tating, yielding;  slavery  became  bolder,  more 
aggressive,  and  more  dominating.  Freedom  re- 
treated from  one  lost  position  to  another ;  slavery 
advanced  from  conquest  to  conquest.  Several 
years  of  unremitted  despotism  of  the  slave  power 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        63 

followed  the  consummation  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise. The  dark  spirit  of  slavery  swayed  the 
policy  of  the  republic.  Southern  legislatures  re- 
pealed the  more  humane  acts  of  their  slave  codes, 
.  .  .  and  enacted  statutes  still  more  inhuman." 
But  the  spirit  of  freedom  and  humanity  was  still 
alive  and  growing  in  many  hearts.  Amidst  gen- 
eral defection  there  was  a  precious  remnant. 
There  were  men  and  women  who  learned  their 
duty  at  a  higher  source  than  shifting  public  opin- 
ion, .who  listened  to  the  "  still  small  voice  "  of 
God,  the  Father  of  all.  Their  hearts  were  sad- 
dened—  overwhelmed  by  the  condition  of  the 
country.  The  cries  of  millions  of  slaves  were  to 
them  an  irresistible  appeal  for  help.  They  pon- 
dered the  question  of  duty,  they  prayed  for  light 
and  strength,  and  then  they  went  fearlessly  for- 
ward in  open  and  direct  resistance  to  slavery. 
To  human  sight  theirs  was  an  unequal,  almost 
profitless  task.  They  were  a  handful  of  weak,  ob- 
scure individuals,  against  a  power  which  seemed 
well  nigh  omnipotent.  But  they  were  inspired 
and  sustained  by  a  serene  faith  in  the  ultimate 
triumph  of  truth. 

Among  the  pioneers  of  direct  anti-slavery  ef- 


64         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

fort,  Benjamin  Lundy,  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
of  Quaker  parentage,  deserves  the  foremost  place. 
He  was  a  true  philanthropist  —  tender-hearted, 
self-sacrificing,  fearless,  and  yet  prudent.  "  His 
heart  was  troubled  at  the  sad  condition  of  the 
slave.  He  enjoyed,  he  said,  no  peace  of  mind, 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  must  not  only 
feel,  but  act,  for  the  suffering  bondmen.  Call- 
ing a  few  friends  together  at  his  house,  he  un- 
bosomed his  feelings.  An  anti-slavery  organ- 
ization was  formed,  called  'the  Union  Humane 
Society/  " 

This  was  in  1815,  when  Charles  Sumner  was  a 
boy  of  four  years.  Six  years  later,  in  1821, 
Lundy  commenced,  in  Ohio,  a  monthly  paper,  The 
Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation.  In  1824  he 
transferred  his  paper  to  Baltimore.  In  1828,  on 
a  visit  to  the  Eastern  States,  he  accomplished  per- 
haps the  greatest  work  of  his  life ;  he  formed  the 
acquaintance,  in  Boston,  of  a  young  man  of  twen- 
ty-three, and  won  him  at  once  to  his  views.  The 
young  man  was  William  Lloyd  Garrison. 

Charles  Sumner  was  then  in  his  second  college 
year,  seventeen  years  of  age. 

When  Lundy  returned  to  Baltimore,  he  did  not 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         65 

forget  young  Garrison.  Evidently  the  acquaint- 
ance had  deeply  impressed  his  mind.  He  came 
back  to  Boston  in  search  of  his  friend.  But  Gar- 
rison had  left  the  city,  and  was  editing  a  paper  in 
Vermont.  Thither  Lundy  pursued  him.  Mr.  Gar- 
rison, afterwards  writing  of  this  visit,  said,  "  He 
had  taken  his  staff  in  hand,  and  come  all  the  way 
to  the  Green  Mountains.  He  came  to  lay  it  on 
my  conscience  and  my  soul  that  I  should  join  him 
in  this  work  of  seeking  the  abolition  of  slavery." 
Lundy  prevailed.  The  next  year  they  joined 
hands  in  Baltimore  in  the  warfare  against  slavery. 
Mr.  Garrison  outstripped  his  partner  —  not  in  de- 
votion to  the  cause  of  emancipation,  but  in  the 
fiery  energy  with  which  he  assailed  slavery.  "  In 
his  first  issue,  he  insisted  on  immediate  and  un- 
conditional emancipation  as  the  right  of  the  slave 
and  the  duty  of  the  master,  and  disclaimed  all 
temporizing,  all  make-shifts,  all  compromises,  con- 
demning colonization,  and  everything  else  that  in- 
volved or  implied  affiliation  or  sympathy  with 
slaveholders."  The  Democratic  slave-trade  he 
denounced  as  "  Democratic  piracy."  He  branded 
as  pirates  the  men —  calling  them  by  name  —  who 
carried  on  this  traffic  between  Baltimore  and  New 
5 


66  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

Orleans.  The  result  was  a  fine,  and  imprisonment 
for  forty-nine  days.  Released  by  the  generosity 
of  a  friend,  who  paid  the  fine  and  costs,  Mr.  Gar- 
rison returned  to  Boston,  to  resume  his  weapons 
against  slavery. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.         67 


CHAPTER  jVII. 

"  The  Liberator  "  established  by  Mr.  Garrison.  — 
Its  Boldness.  —  Excitement  at  the  South. — 
Demand  on  the  Mayor  of  Boston. 

WHILE  Mr.  Simmer  was  engaged  in  his  quiet 
studies,  the  year  after  his  graduation  from 
college,  Mr.  Garrison,  six  years  his -senior,  com- 
menced the  publication  of  The  Liberator,  in  Bos- 
ton. The  first  number  appeared  in  January, 
1831. 

The  history  of  this  newspaper  teaches  us 
"  not  to  despise  the  day  of  small  things."  No 
beginning  could  be  more  humble.  No  funds,  not 
a  single  subscriber,  the  partner,  Mr.  Knapp,  who 
was  the  printer,  as  poor  as  the  editor,  "  a  dingy 
room  of  sixteen  feet  square,  at  once  his  sanctum, 
workshop,  and  home."  What  could  be  more  un- 
promising or  insignificant?  But  behind  all  this 
poverty  and  meanness  was  an  ardent,  indomi- 


68  LIFE   OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

table  soul,  conscious  of  a  great  mission,  resolved 
to  be  heard. 

We  have  seen  Mr.  Garrison's  spirit,  truth-loving 
and  fearless,  in  Baltimore.  From  prison  he  came 
to  Boston  to  deal  heavier  blows  against  the  great- 
est wrong  of  the  age.  The  establishment  of  The 
Liberator  was  the  inauguration  of  a  new  era  in  the 
anti- slavery  cause.  It  was  the  era  of  calling 
things  by  their  right  names.  Listen  to  the  intro- 
ductory announcement : 

"During  my  recent  tour  for  the  purpose  of 
exciting  the  minds  of  the  people  by  a  series  of 
discourses  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  every  place 
that  I  visited  gave  fresh  evidence  of  the  fact 
that  a  greater  revolution  in  public  sentiment  was 
to  be  effected  in  the  free  states  —  and  particu- 
larly in  New  England  —  than  at  the  South.  I 
found  contempt  more  bitter,  opposition  more 
active,  detraction  more  relentless,  prejudice  more 
stubborn,  and  apathy  more  frozen  than  among 
slaveholders  themselves.  Of  course  there  were 
individual  exceptions  to  the  contrary.  This  state 
of  things  affected  but  did  not  dishearten  me. 
I  determined,  at  every  hazard,  to  lift  up  the 
standard  of  emancipation  in  the  eyes  of  the 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         69 

nation,  within  sight  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  in  the 
birthplace  of  liberty.  That  standard  is  now  un- 
furled ;  and  long  may  it  float,  unhurt  by  the 
spoliations  of  time  or  the  missiles  of  a  desperate 
foe ;  yea,  till  every  chain  be  broken,  and  every 
bondman  set  free.  Let  Southern  oppressors 
tremble ;  let  their  abettors  tremble ;  let  all  the 
enemies  of  the  persecuted  blacks  tremble. 

"  I  am  aware  that  many  object  to  the  severity 
of  my  language;  but  is  there  not  cause  for 
severity?  I  will  be  as  harsh  as  truth,  and  as 
uncompromising  as  justice.  On  this  subject  I 
do  not  wish  to  think,  or  speak,  or  write  with 
moderation.  No  !  No  !  Tell  a  man  whose  house 
is  on  fire  to  give  a  moderate  alarm ;  tell  him  to 
moderately  rescue  his  wife  from  the  hands  of  the 
ravisher ;  tell  the  mother  to  gradually  extricate 
her  babe  from  the  fire  into  which  it  has  fallen ; 
but  urge  me  not  to  use  moderation  in  a  cause  like 
the  present.  /  am  in  earnest ;  I  will  not  equivo- 
cate ;  I  will  not  excuse  ;  I  will  not  retreat  an  inch. 
AND  I  WILL  BE  HEARD  !  The  apathy  of  the  people 
is  enough  to  make  every  statue  leap  from  its  ped- 
estal, and  to  hasten  the  resurrection  of  the  dead. 

"  It  is  pretended  that  I  am  retarding  the  cause 


70         LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

of  emancipation  by  the  coarseness  of  my  invective, 
and  the  precipitancy  of  my  measures.  The  charge 
is  not  true.  On  this  question,  my  influence,  hum- 
ble as  it  is,  is  felt  at  this  moment  to  a  considera- 
ble extent ;  and  it  shall  be  felt  in  coming  years 
—  not  perniciously,  but  beneficially  —  not  as  a 
curse,  but  as  a  blessing ;  and  POSTERITY  WILL 

BEAR     WITNESS    THAT   I  WAS    RIGHT.        I    desire    to 

thank  God  that  He  enables  me  to  disregard  the 
fear  of  man,  which  bringeth  a  snare,  and  to  speak 
truth  in  its  simplicity  and  power;  and  I  here 
close  with  this  dedication  :  — 

'  Oppression !  I  have  seen  thee,  face  to  face, 

And  met  thy  cruel  eye  and  cloudy  brow ; 

But  thy  soul-withering  glance  I  fear  not  now  — 
For  dread  to  prouder  feelings  doth  give  place 
Of  deep  abhorrence  !    Scorning  the  disgrace 

Of  slavish  knees  that  at  thy  footstool  bow 

I  also  kneel — but  with  far  other  vow 
Do  hail  thee  and  thy  herd  of  hirelings  base ; 

I  swear,  while  life-blood  warms  my  throbbing  veins, 
Still  to  oppose  and  thwart,  with  heart  and  hand, 

Thy  brutalizing  sway  —  till  Afric's  chains 
Are  burst,  and  Freedom  rules  the  rescued  land, 
Trampling  Oppression  and  his  iron  rod. 
Such  is  the  vow  I  take  —  so  help  me  God ! ' " 

When  were  braver  words  ever  spoken  —  to 
be  followed  up  by  corresponding  words  and 
acts? 


LIFE  OP-  CHARLES  SUMNER.  71 

When  accused  of  using  hard  language,  he  re- 
plied: "I  admit  the  charge.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  find  a  soft  word  to  describe  villany,  or 
to  identify  the  perpetrator  of  it.  The  man  who 
makes  a  chattel  of  his  brother  —  what  is  he  ? 
The  man  who  keeps  back  the  hire  of  his  laborers 
by  fraud  —  what  is  he  ?  They  who  prohibit  the 
circulation  of  the  Bible  —  what  are  they  ?  They 
who  compel  three  millions  of  men  and  women 
to  herd  together,  like  brute  beasts  —  what  are 
they  ?  They  who  sell  mothers  by  the  pound,  and 
children  in  lots  to  suit  purchasers  —  what  are 
they  ?  I  care  not  what  terms  are  applied  to 
them,  provided  they  do  apply.  If  they  are  not 
thieves,  if  they  are  not  tyrants,  if  they  are  not 
men-stealers,  I  should  like  to  know  what  is  their 
true  character,  and  by  what  names  they  may  be 
called.  It  is  as  mild  an  epithet  to  sjay  that  a 
thief  is  a  thief,  as  it  is  to  say  that  a  spade  is  a 
spade." 

Mr.  Garrison  had  said,  "I  will  be  heard;" 
"  Let  Southern  oppressors  tremble."  He  was 
heard,  and  that  speedily.  The  sound  of  his 
trumpet,  issuing  from  that  dingy  attic,  reached 
even  Southern  ears.  There  was  alarm  through- 


72         LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

out  Slave dom.  Southern  fears  at  once  compre- 
hended the  full  measure  of  this  new  foe.  While 
as  yet  quite  unnoticed  at  the  North,  he  was 
famous  at  the  South.  Southern  ears,  accustomed 
to  alarms,  were  quicker  to  discern  coming  danger. 
There  was  something  in  these  clear,  ringing 
tones  that  told  of  "  a  Daniel  come  to  judgment." 
There  was  a  spirit  in  the  mail  which  they  felt 
could  not  be  intimidated  or  blinded.  According- 
ly, measures  were  taken  to  avert  the  threatened 
peril. 

"  Before  the  close  of  the  first  year,  the  Vigi- 
lance Association  of  Columbia,  S.  C., '  composed 
of  gentlemen  of  the  first  respectability/  offered 
a  reward  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  the  appre- 
hension and  conviction  of  any  white  person 
detected  in  circulating  in  that  state  '  the  newspa- 
per called  The  Liberator.' " 

The  corporation  of  Georgetown,  D.  C.,  passed 
an  ordinance  rendering  it  penal  for  any  free  per- 
son of  color  to  take  from  the  post-office  the 
paper,  published  at  Boston,  called  The  Liberator, 
the  punishment  for  each  offence  to  be  twenty 
dollars  fine,  or  thirty  days  imprisonment.  In 
case  the  offender  was  not  able  to  pay  the  fine,  or 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.         73 

the  fees  for  imprisonment,  he  was  to  be  sold  into 
slavery  for  four  months.  The  grand  jury  of 
Raleigh,  N.  C.;  at  the  instigation  of  the  attorney 
general,  made  an  indictment  against  the  editor  and 
publisher  of  The  Liberator  for  its  circulation  in 
that  county.  The  legislature  of  Georgia  passed 
an  act  offering  a  reward  of  five  thousand  dollars 
for  the  arrest,  prosecution,  and  trial  to  conviction, 
under  the  laws  of  the  state,  of  the  editor  or 
publisher  of  a  certain  paper  called  The  Liberator, 
published  in  the  town  of  Boston,  and  State  of 
Massachusetts. 

Truly  compliments  were  showered  upon  our 
poor  editor ! 

A"  certain  Southern  magistrate  thought  to  beard 
the  Northern  lion  in  his  very  den.  He  request- 
ed the  Hon.  Harrison  Gray  Otis, "  the  wealthy  and 
aristocratic  Mayor  of  Boston,"  to  suppress  The 
Liberator.  The  mayor  had  probably  never 
heard  of,  certainly  never  read,  the  paltry  aboli- 
tion sheet.  But,  as  a  good  and  faithful  peace- 
maker, he  set  about  the  task  demanded  of 
him.  In  due  time  he  reported  that  his  offi- 
cers "  had  ferreted  out  the  paper  and  its  editor, 
whose  office  was  an  obscure  hole,  his  only  visible 


74        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

auxiliary  a  negro  boy,  its  supporters  a  few 
insignificant  persons  of  all  colors/'  &c.,  &c. ;  and 
he  assured  the  complainant  that  there  was  no 
possible  cause  for  alarm !  The  South  knew 
better,  and  kept  up  a  standing  premium  on  his 
head. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        75 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Fears  of  Slaveholders.  —  Slave  Conspiracy  at 
Charleston.  —  Nat  Turner's  Insurrection.  —  His 
Execution.  —  Abolitionists  in  the  Virginia  Legis- 
lature. —  Pro-Slavery  at  the  North.  —  Ameri- 
can Anti-Slavery  Society.  —  Eiots  in  New  York 
and  elsewhere.  —  Mr.  Garrison  Mobbed  in  Bos- 
ton.—Wendell  Phillips.  — Mobs.  — Elijah  P. 
Lovejoy.  —  A  human  Ear.  —  Rifling  the  Mails. 
—  Right  of  Petition.  —  John  Quincy  Adams. 

,  4 

THE  South  was  disturbed  not  only  by  North- 
ern fanatics  ;  within  in  her  own  border,  the  spirit 
of  liberty,  which  dwells  in  every  human  heart, 
an  inextinguishable  spark  from  heaven,  not  sel- 
dom roused  her  bondmen  to  recover  their  stolen 
rights.  As  far  back  as  1812,  John  Randolph, 
of  Virginia,  in  opposing  the  proposed  invasion 
of  Canada,  lest  it  might  expose  the  Southern 
coast  to  British  troops,  and  stir  up  a  servile  in- 
surrection, said,  "  While  talking  of  Canada,  we 


76         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

have  too  much  reason  to  shudder  for  our  own 
safety  at  home.  I  speak  from  facts,  when  I  say 
that  the  night  bell  never  tolls  for  fire  in  Rich- 
mond, that  the  frightened  mother  does  not  hug 
her  infant  more  closely  to  her  bosom,  not  know- 
ing what  may  have  happened." 

In  Charleston,  S.  C.,  years  after,  an  extensive 
conspiracy  was  formed  for  murdering  the  whites, 
and  only  the  fortunate  betrayal  of  the  plot, 
almost  at  the  last  moment,  by  a  female  slave  to 
her  mistress,  to  whom  and  her  family  she  was 
much  attached,  prevented  its  execution.  The 
inhabitants  of  that  city  trembled  when  they 
learned  how  very  near  to  them  had  come  a  terri- 
ble tragedy. 

A  slaveholder  said  to  the  writer,  many  years 
since,  "  We  are  dwelling  on  the  sides  of  a  vol- 
cano, which  may  burst  upon  us  at  any  moment." 

In  1831  occurred  the  Southampton  insurrec- 
tion in  Virginia.  It  was  headed  by  Nat  Turner, 
a  religious  fanatic,  who  had  been  possessed  from 
childhood  with  the  idea  that  he  was  a  prophet 
of  the  Lord,  charged,  like  Moses,  with  the  mighty 
work  of  delivering  his  people  from  bondage. 
His  austerity  of  life  and  manners,  and  the  magic 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  77 

power  he  exercised  over  his  associates,  in- 
fluenced not  a  few  of  them  to  believe  that  he 
was  indeed  divinely  inspired.  In  his  statement 
before  his  execution,  he  said,  "  On  the  12th  day 
of  May,  1828, 1  heard  a  loud  noise  in  the  heavens ; 
and  the  Spirit  instantly  appeared  to  me,  and 
said,  '  The  serpent  is  Iposened,  and  Christ  has 
laid  down  the  yoke  he  bore  for  the  sins  of  men, 
and  I  should  take  it  up  and  fight  against  the 
serpent,  for  the  time  is  fast  approaching  when 
the  first  shall  be  last  and  the  last  shall  be 
first,  and  that  by  signs  in  the  heaven  that  He 
would  make  known  to  me  when  I  should  com- 
mence the  great  work,  and  until  the  first  sign 
should  appear,  I  should  conceal  it  from  the 
knowledge  of  men.7  " 

The  eclipse  of  February,  1831,  he  regarded 
as  the  token  that  the  seal  was  removed  from  his 
lips,  and.  that  he  was  to  call  his  forces  together, 
slay  the  whites,  around  them,  and  so  give  liberty 
to  the  enslaved.  This  was  to  take  place  on  the 
4th  of  July ;  but  he  fell  sick  in  view  of  the  awful 
task  laid  upon  him,  and  the  day  passed  by.  But 
"  the  sign  "  appeared  again,  and  on  the  21st  of 
August  he  and  some  fifty  associates,  mounted, 


78  LIFE  OP  OHAELES  SUMNEB. 

and  armed  with  guns,  swords,  axes,  and  clubs, 
went  from  house  to  house,  and  beginning  with 
the  owner  of  Nat  Turner,  massacred  some  sixty 
whites.  They  were,  however,  soon  fired  upon. 
As  the  result  of  the  insurrection,  one  hundred 
negroes  were  either  shot  or  captured. 

The  whole  state  was  thrown  into  alarm,  which 
ran  like  wildfire  through  all  the  slave  states. 

The  next  session  of  the  legislature  of  Virginia 
was  occupied  with  speeches,  and  plans,  and  argu- 
ments, called  forth  by  this  shocking  event.  Gov- 
ernor Floyd  asserted  that  the  plans  for  treason, 
insurrection,  and  murder  had  been  designed 
and  matured  by  unrestrained  and  designing 
fanatics  in  the  neighboring  states.  He  also 
denounced  the  negro  preachers  as  instigators  of 
revolt,  and  expressed  his  conviction  that  the 
safety  of  the  public  required  that  they  should 
be  silenced,  and  the  free  people  of  color  banished 
from  the  state. 

Petitions  now  began  to  pour  into  the  legisla- 
ture. Some  of  them  were  from  slaveholders, 
praying  for  the  removal  of  the  free  negroes ;  and 
others  from  the  Quakers,  asking  for  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  slaves. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        79 

The  discussions  which  followed  woke  up  a 
spirit  little  looked  for,  and  developed  the  fact 
that  there  were  many  anti- slavery  slaveholders 
in  the  body.  One  member  asserted  that  "  the 
free  negro  population  was  a  nuisance/'  but 
added,  "  There  is  another  and  a  greater  nuisance 
—  slavery  itself."  He  called  the  system  "  the 
greatest  curse  that  God,  in  his  wrath,  had  ever 
inflicted  on  a  people."  He  asserted  that  men 
were  forced  to  lock  their  doors  at  night  and 
to  open  them  in  the  morning  to  let  their  servants 
in  to  light  the  fires,  with  a  pistol  in  their  hand, 
and  said,  "  Under  such  circumstances,  life  is  a 
burden,  and  it  were  better  to  seek  a  home  in 
some  distant  realm,  and  leave  the  graves  of  our 
fathers,  than  endure  so  precarious  a  condition." 

Another  member  called  slavery  "  the  greatest 
curse  ever  inflicted  upon  the  state,"  while  yet 
another,  using  still  stronger  language,  spoke  of 
"its  irresistible  tendency  to  undermine  and 
destroy  everything  like  virtue  and  morality 
in  the  community,"  and  declared  that  the  pur- 
pose of  the  master  was  to  see  that  the  igno- 
rance of  his  slaves  shall  be  as  profound  as 
possible ;  and  he  vowed  to  do  henceforth  all  in 


80         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

his  power  to  restore  to  this  oppressed  people, 
their  God- given  rights.  Another  member  called 
slavery  "  the  bitterest  drop  from  the  chalice  of 
the  destroying  angel." 

It  might  seem  that  Virginia,  at  least,  was  on 
the  eve  of  an  act  of  emancipation.  But  the 
anti-slavery  sentiment,  which  was  so  strong  in 
Western  Virginia,  among  the  mountains,  where 
freedom  is  wont  to  dwell,  was  overpowered  by 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  state,  where  lived 
the  great  slaveholders.  The  danger  from  which 
they  had  just  escaped  made  these  men  only  the 
more  fanatical  in  their  defence  of  slavery,  and 
the  more  bitter  in  their  hostility  to  those  who 
sought  its  overthrow.  New  safeguards  must  be 
thrown  around  the  "  patriarchal "  institution, 
new  and  more  stringent  laws  enacted,  a  sharper 
watch  maintained  against  abolition  emissaries, 
and  the  national  government  made  to  take 
slavery  more  directly  under  its  protection. 

The  free  North,  united  to  the  South  by 
social,  political,  commercial,  and  ecclesiastical 
ties,  departed,  .to  a  fearful  extent,  from  her 
better  traditions,  and  joined  in  the  crusade 
against  abolitionists.  "  Great  is  Diana  of  the 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER.  81 

Ephesians  I  "  Great  and  ever  to  be  defended  is 
American  slavery ! 

From  that  time  onward,  the  opposition  to 
anti-slavery  increased  in  intensity  both  at  the 
North  and  South.  For  several  years  mob-law 
had  the  ascendency.  Free  speech  was  put 
under  the  ban.  Slavery  must  not  be  mentioned 
in  sermons  and  orations,  except  in  terms  of 
commendation  or  extenuation.  The  press  was 
muzzled.  Public  prayers  for  those  who  were  in 
bonds  was  treason  against  the  government. 
These  mandates  of  slavery  were  enforced  with 
unrelenting  rigor.  Abolitionists  were  the  ob- 
jects of  constant  abuse,  and  often  their  lives 
were  in  peril. 

But,  nothing  daunted,  these  peaceable  friends 
of  human  liberty  resolved  to  proceed  to  more 
effective  measures  in  the  cause  to  which  they 
had  sacredly  sworn  themselves.  In  the  winter 
of  1833,  a  convention  assembled  in  Philadelphia 
for  the  formation  of  an  American  Anti- slavery 
Society.  This  meeting  has  been  recently  de- 
scribed in  a  very  graphic  manner  by  John  G-. 
Whittier,  himself  an  active  participator  in  the 
proceedings.  Sixty-two  delegates  were  in  at- 
6 


82  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

tendance,  among  whom  were  Beriah  Green, 
William  Lloyd  Garrison,  Samuel  J.  May,  Lewis 
Tappan,  and  John  Eankin. 

The  society  was  organized  under  circum- 
stances of  peculiar  solemnity.  Their  work  com- 
pleted, the  president,  the  Kev.  Mr.  Green,  ad- 
dressed the  members,  as  they  were  about  to 
separate,  in  touching  and  prophetic  words. 
"Brethren,"  he  said,  "it  has  been  good  to  be 
here.  In  this  hallowed  atmosphere  I  have  been 
revived  and  refreshed.  .  .  .  But  we  must  now 
retire  from  these  influences  and  breathe  another 
atmosphere.  The  chill  hoar-frost  will  be  upon  us. 
The  storm  and  tempest  wiU  rise,  and  the  waves  of 
persecution  wiU  dash  against  our  souls.  Let  us 
be  prepared  for  the  worst.  Let  us  fasten  our- 
selves to  the  throne  of  God  as  with  hooks  of 
steel.  .  .  .  Let  us  be  assured  that  our  only  hope 
in  grappling  with  the  bony  monster  is  in  an  Arm 
that  is  stronger  than  ours.  Let  us  fix  our  gaze 
on  God,  and  walk  in  the  light  of  his  counte- 
nance. If  our  cause  be  just,  —  and  we  know  it  is, 
—  his  omnipotence  is  pledged  to  its  triumph. 
Let  this  cause  be  entwined  around  the  very 
fibres  of  our  hearts.  Let  our  hearts  grow  to  it, 


LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNEB.         83 

so    that    nothing    but    death    can    sunder    the 
bond." 

Mr.  Whittier  adds,  "  He  ceased,  and  then, 
amidst  a  silence  broken  only  by  the  deep-drawn 
breath  of  emotion  in  the  assembly,  lifted  up  his 
voice  in  a  prayer  to  Almighty  God,  full  of  fervor 
and  feeling,  imploring  his  blessing  and  sanctifica- 
tion  upon  the  convention  and  its  labors.  And 
with  the  solemnity  of  this  supplication  in  our 
hearts,  we  clasped  hands  in  farewell,  and  went 
forth  each  man  to  his  place  of  duty,  not  knowing 
the  things  that  should  befall  us,  as  individuals, 
but  with  a  confidence,  never  shaken  by  abuse 
and  persecution,  in  the  certain  triumph  of  our 
cause." 

Thus  was  born  into  life  the  first  national  anti- 
slavery  organization. 

The  "  storm  and  tempest "  did  rise.  There 
had  been  pro-slavery  mobs  in  New  York  city. 
The  cry  was  raised  in  1833,  "  Ten  thousand  dol- 
lars for  Arthur  Tappan."  Valuable  men  were 
those  abolitionists !  But  in  1834  the  "  waves  of 
persecution"  dashed  more  furiously.  An  anti- 
slavery  celebration  on  the  4th  of  July  was 
broken  up  by  ruflians,  crying,  "  Treason,  treason ! 


84        LIFE  OP  CHABLES  SUMNEB. 

Hurrah  for  the  Union ! "  Alas  that  the  .United 
States  were  reduced  to  the  humiliation  of  having 
such  defenders  !  The  leading  journals  of  the  city 
praised  the  rioters,  who,  for  several  days,  com- 
mitted their  outrages  unrebuked.  At  midnight, 
on  the  9th,  the  dwelling  of  Lewis  Tappan  was 
broken  open  by  a  mob,  his  furniture  carried  into 
the  street  and  consigned  to  the  flames.  The 
next  day  several  churches  had  their  doors  and 
windows  broken ;  one  was  "  badly  shattered,  and 
one  nearly  destroyed,  as  were  a  school-house  for 
colored  children,  and  many  dwellings  inhabited 
by  negroes.  None  of  the  rioters  were  ever  pun- 
ished." It  was  a  reign  of  terror.  In  Philadelphia 
there  was  a  three-days'  riot,  in  which  the  colored 
people  suffered  terribly  by  assaults  upon  their 
persons  and  dwellings. 

New  England  was  disgraced  by  similar  scenes ; 
for  the  slave-fiend  had  poisoned  the  moral  atmos- 
phere of  the  whole  country.  In  Massachusetts, 
at  Worcester,  in  1835,  an  anti-slavery  lecturer 
was  assaulted  in  the  midst  of  the  meeting.  Simi- 
lar disturbances  occurred  in  many  villages.  At 
Boston,  October  21, 1835,  a  large  and  most  respec- 
table mob,  composed  in  good  part  of  merchants, 


LIFE   OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.  85 

assailed  a  meeting  of  the  Female  Anti-slavery 
Society,  while  its  president  was  at  prayer,  and 
dispersed  it.*  Brave  men  were  they !  Mr. 
Garrison,  being  discovered,  "  was  seized,  a  rope 
put  round  him,  his  hat  knocked  off  his  head 
and  cut  in  pieces,  and  his  clothes  torn  from  his 
body.  Dragged  through  Wilson's  Lane  into  State 
Street,  he  was  rescued  by  the  mayor,  his  posse, 
and  several  respectable  citizens,  and  taken  into 
the  mayor's  room  in  the  Old  State  House.  From 
this  place  he  was  conveyed  in  a  carriage  to  Lever- 
ett  Street  Jail,  to  save  him  from  the  fury  of  the 
mob."  In  order  to  effect  Mr.  Garrison's  admis- 
sion to  the  jail,  the  kind-hearted  deputy  ^sheriff, 
Mr.  Parkman,  got  out  a  warrant  against  him  as  "  a 
disturber  of  the  peace."  Mr.  Parkman  attempted 
to  get  into  the  carriage  with  the  criminal,  but 
could  not  for  the  crowd.  Hastening  to  his  own 
carriage,  he  fortunately  reached  the  jail  just  as  Mr. 
Garrison  arrived.  The  warrant  was  presented, 
the  jail  door  was  thrown  quickly  open,  and  Mr. 
Garrison  was  safe  from  the  howling  mob.  There 
he  remained  for  the  night.  As  he  was  a 
prisoner  for  no  crime,  he  could  not  be  detained, 

*  The  American  Conflict,  by  Horace  Greeley. 


86         LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

and  the  next  day  an  order  was  issued  for  his 
appearance  before  the  court,  to  secure  his  re- 
lease. But  it  was  not  considered  safe  that  so 
much  publicity  should  be  given  to  the  affair ;  and 
accordingly,  as  Mr.  Garrison  could  not  go  to  the 
court,  the  court  came  to  him !  The  judge  went 
to  the  jail,  and  informed  Mr.  Garrison  that  he  was 
free  to  go  "  as  a  blameless  citizen."  But  before 
departing,  he  inscribed  these  words  upon  the 
walls  of  the  prison :  "  William  Lloyd  Garrison  was 
put  into  this  cell  on  Monday  afternoon,  October 
21,  1835,  to  save  him  from  the  violence  of  a  re- 
spectable and  influential  mob,  who  sought  to 
destroy  him  for  preaching  the  abominable  and 
dangerous  doctrine  that  all  men  are  created 
equal,  and  that  all  oppression  is  odious  in  the 
sight  of  God." 

Among  the  spectators  of  that  riot  of  the  21st  was 
a  young  lawyer,  of  rare  gifts,  and  of  high  promise 
— Wendell  Phillips.  Up  to  that  day  he  had  had  no 
thought  of  linking  himself  with  the  abolitionists. 
His  only  ambition  was  eminence  in  his  profession 
or  as  a  statesman.  That  sight  of  savage  brutality 
suddenly  changed  the  whole  purpose  and  current 
of  his  life.  From  that  time  he  became  a  reader 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.         87 

of  The  Liberator,  and  a  co-laborer  with  its  hound- 
ed editor,  in  the  anti-slavery  cause. 

The  same  year,  in  November,  at  Northfield, 
N.  H.,  Rev.  George  Storrs,  while  in  prayer,  pre- 
liminary to  an  anti-slavery  lecture,  was  dragged 
from  his  knees,  on  a  warrant  issued  by  a  justice 
charging  him  with  being  "  a  common  rioter  and 
brawler."  * 

In  1837,  in  Alton,  Illinois,  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  a 
man  of  culture  and  much  moral  worth,  an  editor 
of  an  anti-slavery  paper,  was  subjected  to  a  series 
of  annoyances  and  persecutions,  resulting  in  the 
destruction  of  his  press  and  type,  and  finally  his 
murder  by  a  mob.  These  are  a  few  specimens 
of  the  pro- slavery  spirit  in  the  free  states. 

At  the  South,  abolitionism  was  the  unpardon- 
able sin,  to  be  visited  with  summary  vengeance. 
A  New  Orleans  paper  declared  that  every  anti- 
slavery  emissary  of  the  South  would  "  be  burned 
at  the  stake."  Such  was  the  voice  from  Georgia, 


*  The  year  1835  may  be  called  the  year  of  mobs.  Many  had  oc- 
curred the  preceding  year,  but  this  was  the  culminating  period. 
•'  A  reign  of  terror  prevailed  throughout  the  free  states.  ChurcheB 
and  public  halls  were  assaulted,  life  and  limb  were  endangered, 
anti-slavery  speakers  were  roughly  handled,  and  often  placed  in 
circumstances  of  imminent  peril." 


88         LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Mississippi,  and  everywhere  else.  In  the  United 
States  Senate,  in  1838,  a  member  from  South 
Carolina  said,  "  Let  an  abolitionist  come  within  the 
borders  of  South  Carolina*  if  we  can  catch  we 
will  try  him,  and,  notwithstanding  all  the  inter- 
ference of  all  the  governments  of  the  earth,  includ- 
ing the  federal  government,  we  will  HANG  him." 

So  great  was  the  hatred  and  dread  of  abolitiqa- 
ists  at  the  South,  that  the  mails  were  searched, 
and  rifled  of  anti-slavery  documents;  and  the 
postmaster  general,  in  a  letter  to  the  postmaster 
of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  said,  "  I  cannot  sanction,  and 
will  not  condemn,  the  step  you  have  taken." 

The  writer  remembers  being  once  at  the  house 
of  a  gentleman  of  high  standing,  whose  name  was 
then  an  abomination  at  the  South,  when  a  large 
letter  arrived  from  South  Carolina.  It  contained 
a  dead  and  withered  human  ear  and  a  bit  of  rope ! 
The  letter  read  something  like  this :  "  Knowing 
that  you  are  much  interested  in  our  negroes,  I 
send  you  the  ear  of  a  slave,  cut  off  for  attempting 
to  escape  to  the  North.  The  rope  is  a  hint  of 
what  awaits  you  i£  we  can  get  you  in  our  power." 

Further,  in  order  to  effect  its  purpose,  the  slave 
power  trampled  on  the  sacred  right  of  petition. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         89 

The  existence  of  slavery  and  the  slave-trade  in 
the  District  of  Columbia  was  especially  offensive 
to  the  North.  That  horrid  traffic  was  carried  on 
in  sight  of  the  national  Capitol,  and  under  cir- 
cumstances of  extreme  cruelty.  Slave-pens  were 
there,  filled  with  human  merchandise,  and  gangs 
of  slaves,  handcuffed  and  chained,  were  a  spec- 
tacle of  constant  occurrence. 

Liberty  was  outraged  in  the  sight  of  the  whole 
world.  The  United  States  were  disgraced  by 
such  unspeakable  hypocrisy  —  a  free  republic 
legalizing  the  buying  and  selling  of  human  be- 
ings. It  was  not  ashamed  to  expose  its  naked- 
ness. 

It  was  natural  that  such  a  state  of  things  should 
provoke  indignation  in  the  free  North.  In  the 
name  of  decency,  as  well  as  of  humanity,  let  slavery 
cease  to  flaunt  its  flag  at  the  common  capital  of 
the  nation.  Such  was  the  growing  feeling  at  the 
North.  Numerous  petitions  were  sent  to  Con- 
gress, in  1835,  for  the  removal  of  these  abomina- 
tions. But  the  right  of  petition  was  denied  by 
Congress,  and  a  rule  was  passed  excluding  anti- 
slavery  petitions. 

In   1842,  John  Tyler  being   president,  John 


90         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

Quincy  Adams,  representative  from  Massachu- 
setts, who  had,  in  previous  years,  manfully  de- 
fended the  right  of  petition,  secured  a  great 
triumph  over  the  slave  power.  The  subject  was 
discussed  for  nearly  two  weeks,  amidst  the  most 
intense  excitement.  The  boldness  and  persis- 
tency of  Mr.  Adams  were  intolerable.  A  resolu- 
tion censuring  his  conduct  was  introduced.  But 
as  it  was  a  very  serious  matter,  the  pro-slavery 
members  decided  to  take  further  thought  before 
final  action.  A  meeting  for  deliberation  was  held 
in  the  evening,  and  a  chivalrous  young  member, 
Thomas  Marshall,  of  Kentucky,  was  selected  to 
bring  forward  resolutions.  The  wish  was,  to  ex- 
pel the  venerable  ex-president ;  but  they  feared 
to  take  that  step.  It  was  decided  to  be  content 
with  something  less.  The  next  morning,  after 
the  reading  of  the  journal,  Mr.  Marshall  submitted, 
according  to  the  programme,  three  resolutions, 
declaring  that  the  act  of  Mr.  Adams  might  be 
held  to  merit  expulsion  ;  that  the  House  deemed  it 
an  act  of  mercy  and  grace  when  they  only  in- 
flicted upon  him  the  severest  censure  for  conduct 
so  unworthy  of  his  past  relations  to  the  state  and 
his  present  position,  and  that  this  they  did  for  the 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER.  91 

maintenance  of  their  purity  and  dignity ;  and  for 
the  rest,  they  turned  him  over  to  his  own  conscience 
and  the  indignation  of  all  American  citizens  1  The 
resolutions  in  which  Mr.  Marshall  charged  Mr. 
Adams  with  high  treason  were  followed  by  an 
eloquent  and  forcible  speech.  But  the  "  old  man 
eloquent"  was  far  more  than  a  match  for  the 
brilliant  young  orator  and  all  his  associates.  With 
irresistible  power  of  argument  and  sarcasm,  he 
vindicated  the  right  of  petition,  charged  the 
South  with  aiming  at  the  subversion  of  the  funda- 
mental rights  of  freemen,  and  assailed  slavery 
itself  as  a  tremendous  evil.  Southern  members 
used  every  parliamentary  artifice  to  stop  him,  but 
in  vain.  No  one  understood  parliamentary  usages 
and  rights  so  well  as  he.  He  replied  to  his  as- 
sailants with  terrible  severity.  Referring  to  the 
charge  of  treason,  he  thanked  God  that  it  was 
not  left  to  the  "  puny "  mind  of  the  gentleman 
from  Kentucky  to  define  that  crime  —  the  Con- 
stitution had  done  it.  He  said  that  if  he  were 
Mr.  Marshall's  father,  he  would  "  advise  him  to 
return  to  Kentucky,  and  take  his  place  in  some 
law  school,  and  commence  the  study  of  that  pro- 
fession he  had  disgraced."  Mr.  Adams  "  carried 


92  LIFE  OP   CHARLES.  SUMNEB. 

the  war  into  Africa  "  with  such  vigor  that  he 
overwhelmed  his  opponents.  They  had  begun 
the  onset  with  the  full  purpose  to  humble  him. 
For  several  days  the  contest  raged.  But  the 
veteran  statesman,  conscious  of  his  innocence, 
and  resolved  to  maintain  the  right,  fearlessly 
stood  his  ground,  and  compelled  his  enemies  to 
surrender.  They  dared  not  carry  out  their  plan. 
Their  carefully  concocted  resolutions  were  laid  on 
the  table  !  It  was  a  grand  triumph  of  liberty. 

At  the  next  session,  Mr.  Adams,  as  chairman 
of  a  committee  on  rules  for  the  government  of  the 
House,  omitted  in  his  report  the  twenty-first  rule 
—  the  rule  which  excluded  anti-slavery  petitions. 
Weeks  were  spent  in  discussing  the  subject,  and 
Mr.  Adams  was  violently  assailed.  "  Mr.  Dillett, 
of  Alabama,  quoted  these  words  from  a  speech  of 
Mr.  Adams's  to  the  colored  people  of  Pittsburg : 
1  We  know  that  the  day  of  your  redemption  must 
come.  The  time  and  manner  of  its  coming  we 
know  not.  It  may  come  in  peace,  or  it  may  come 
in  blood ;  but  whether  in  peace  or  in  blood,  let  it 
come/  Mr.  Adams  said,  with  emphasis,  1 1  say 
now,  let  it  come.'  Mr.  Dillett  replied,  l  Yes,  the 
gentleman  now  says,  Let  it  come,  though  it  costs 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         93 

the  blood  of  thousands  of  white  men/  Mr.  Adams 
quickly  responded, l  Though  it  cost  the  blood  of 
millions  of  white  men,  let  it  come  ! '"  * 

The  right  of  petition  was  not,  however,  now 
secured.  At  length,  after  ten  years'  struggle,  Mr. 
Adams,  in  the  second  session  of  the  twenty-eighth 
Congress,  in  1844,  effected  the  abolishment  of  the 
tyrannical  "  rule." 

During  all  this  time  the  friends  of  freedom 
were  gaining  strength  and  influence.  In  1840 
the  Liberty  party  was  organized,  and  in  1844, 
with  James  G.  Birney  as  its  candidate  for  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  it  cast  more  than  sixty 
thousand  votes.  It  was  a  small  beginning,  but  it 
led  on  to  great  results. 

*  wason. 


94  LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNEB. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Annexation  of  Texas.  —  Mr.  Sumner's  First  Public 
Appearance.  —  Fourth  of  July  Oration  on  "The 
True  Grandeur  of  Nations.11  —  Its  Effect.  — 
Scene  at  the  Dinner.  —  Extracts  from  the  Ora- 
tion. —  Opinions  of  John  A.  Andrew  and  John 
Quincy  Adams. 

THE  year  1845  found  Mr.  Sumner  quietly  en- 
gaged in  the  pursuits  of  literature  and  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  Early  in  that  year  occurred 
an  event  which  was  destined  to  agitate  the  whole 
country  —  the  annexation  of  Texas.  That  region 
was  claimed  by  Mexico  as  a  part  of  her  territory, 
even  after  it  had  proclaimed  independence  as  a 
republic,  bearing  on  its  flag  a  "  lone  star."  The 
people  of  Texas,  large  numbers  of  them  colonists 
from  the  Southern  States,  and  slaveholders,  at 
length  desired  to  be  united  with  the  United 
States  —  a  project  into  which  the  South  entered 
with  all  its  heart.  To  receive  it  would  be  to  risk 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.  95 

a  war  with  Mexico ;  but  its  annexation  was  a  fore- 
gone conclusion,  provided  its  friends  could  secure 
the  sanction  of  Congress.  At  the  South  it  was 
not  a  subject  of  discussion,  but  of  desperate  de- 
termination. The  area  of  slavery  must  be  ex- 
tended, its  power  strengthened.  Every  possible 
influence  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  two  great 
political  parties  to  commit  them  to  the  measure. 
As  was  usual  then,  the  slave  power  carried  the 
day.  Thenceforth  it  became  more  defiant  and  ex- 
acting, more  unscrupulous  and  domineering. 

The  North  was  beginning  to  be  aroused*,  fear- 
ing whereunto  all  this  would  grow.  But  abolition- 
ism was  an  unpopular  doctrine. 

As  yet  Mr.  Sumner  had  taken  no  active  part  in 
the  cause  to  which,  not  long  after,  he  dedicated  his 
life.  But  he  had  been  doing  a  great  deal  of  think- 
ing. And  he  was  not  without  deep  convictions, 
even  then,  upon  the  stirring  questions  of  the  day. 
The  great  principles  of  right,  which  so  early  took 
deep  root  in  his  nature,  were  already  working  out 
their  legitimate  results.  We  know  that  from  the 
year  1834  he  had  been  a  reader  of  Mr.  Garrison's 
Liberator  —  a  course  of  tuition  decidedly  stimulat- 
ing to  ardent  and  thoughtful  minds.  Horace 


96          LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Mann,  fifteen  years  his  superior  in  age,  also  had 
no  little  influence  in  shaping  young  Sumner's 
course  of  thought  and  life.  The  two  were  always 
warm  friends,  of  kindred  opinions  and  sympathies. 

The  friends  of  anti- slavery  in  the  city  were 
aware  of  Mr.  Sumner's  principles.  They  had  lis- 
tened to  his  earnest,  generous  utterances  in  pri- 
vate, and  knew  that  if  an  opportunity  were 
given  him  for  a  fuller  expression  of  his  views,  he 
would  employ  no  uncertain  words.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  two,  at  least,  of  the  board  of  aldermen 
of  the  city  of  Boston  at  this  time,  Deacon  S.  G. 
Shipley  and  Dr.  Ayer,  were  abolitionists.  They 
were  on  the  committee  to  procure  an  orator  for 
the  anniversary  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  under  the 
direction  of  the  city  government.  They  thought 
of  Charles  Sumner,  the  pride  of  Boston,  who  was 
as  yet  known  to  the  general  public  only  as  a  most 
promising  young  lawyer,  of  extraordinary  attain- 
ments, literary  and  legal,  and  to  a  select  circle  as  a 
gentleman  of  refined  tastes,  elegant  manners,  and 
fascinating  social  qualities. 

But  the  committee  knew  him  as  more  than  this. 
Calling  upon  him,  they  obtained  his  consent  — 
much  to  their  delight.  To  a  friend  whom  they 


LIFE  OP   CHARLES  SUMNER.  97 

met  just  after  this,  they  said,  "  We  have  succeed- 
ed in  getting  Charles  Sunnier,  a  grand  fellow,  and 
a  sturdy  abolitionist."  Had  the  board  of  alder- 
men known  this,  perhaps  they  would  have  had 
some  misgivings. 

And  now  is  to  be  revealed  to  the  world  what 
Mr.  Sumner  had  been  deeply  pondering  in  his 
mind  during  the  past  quiet  years. 

At  last,  full-armed  in  principles  and  purpose,  he 
steps  forth  into  public  life.  The  city  fathers  are 
in  their  place  of  honor  in  the  church;  the  solid 
men,  the  aspiring  young  men,  the  children  of  the 
public  schools,  are  there,  the  last/to  sing  the  songs 
of  freedom.  The  flag  that  floats  proudly  that  day 
bears  the  motto,  "  Ense  petit  placidam  sub  libertate 
quietem  "  —  the  glory  of  the  sword".  The  assem- 
bly are  sure  of  a  rich  treat  from  the  learned  and 
eloquent  young  lawyer.  He  announces  his  theme 
-  "  The  True  Grandeur  of  Nations."  The  occa- 
sion is  one  which,  by  the  grace  of  long  and  hon- 
ored custom,  is  to  call  forth  a  patriotic  eulogy  of 
the  heroes  of ''76. 

Mr.  Sumner  soon  undeceived  the  expectant  mul- 
titude—  all  but  that  committee.  He  had  girded 
himself  for  a  mighty  onset  upon  war,  and  through 
7 


98  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

a  long  and  elaborate  discourse  he  exposed  that 
system  as  cruel,  wasteful,  irrational,  repugnant  to 
Christianity.  .  He  seriously  proposed  that  all  na- 
tions, our  own  setting  the  example,  should  disband 
their  armies,  and  agree  to  settle  their  mutual  dis- 
putes by  friendly  arbitration. 

The  audience  sat  respectfully  through  the  de- 
livery, but  the  feelings  with  which  many  of  them 
entered  the  church,  and  the  feelings  with  which 
they  went  out,  were  about  as  wide  asunder  as 
possible.  The  wiseacres,  the  leaders  of  the  ton, 
the  political  managers,  shook  their  heads  at  the 
rashness  of  the  orator.  He  had  got  altogether 
too  far  out  of  the  beaten  track.  He  had  put  the 
presumptuous  question,  "  Who  believes  that  the 
national  honor  would  be  promoted  by  a  war 
with  Mexico  ? "  and  had  added,  "  A  war  with 
Mexico  would  be  mean  and  cowardly ; "  and 
again,  towards  the  close,  had  said,  "  And  when 
the  day  shall  come  (may  these  eyes  be  gladdened 
by  its  beams  !)  that  shall  witness  the  peaceful 
emancipation  of  three  million  fellow-men,  guilty 
of  a  skin  not  colored  as  our  own,  now,  in  the  land 
of  jubilant  freedom,  bound  in  gloomy  bondage,  — 
then  will  there  be  a  victory  by  the  side  of  which 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.         99 

that  of  Bunker  Hill  will  be  as  the  farthirig^candle 
held  up  to  the  sun."  He  had  seemed  to  manifest 
a  leaning  towards  the  ranting  abolitionists.  He 
had  virtually  said  to  the  great  Whig  party,  of 
which  he  was  a  hopeful  scion,  You  must  set  your- 
self against  the  extension  of  slavery,  against  the 
retention  of  Texas ;  you  must  declare  for  emanci- 
pation, —  which  the  great  Whig  party  was  not  at 
all  inclined  to  do,  regarding  even  the  suggestion 
as  most  disloyal  to  the  party  and  unpatriotic  to 
the  country.  And  so,  when  the  great  men  of  the 
city  met,  after  the  oration,  at  the  dinner  table  in 
Faneuil  Hall,  they  gave  vent  to  their  displeasure. 
The  Daily  Advertiser  of  that  time  gives  a  brief 
account  of  the  scene.  One  speaker  said  that  he 
could  not  fully  sustain  the  doctrines  of  the  ora- 
tion. Wars  were  sometimes  necessary.  Robert 
C.  Winthrop,  then  a  Whig  representative  in  Con- 
gress, having  in  mind  the  annexation  of  Texas, 
and  a  probable  war  with  Mexico,  proposed  as  a 
toast,  "  Our  country  —  however  bounded,  still  our 
country  —  to  be  defended  at  all  hazards."  John 
C.  Park  took  occasion  to  vindicate  the  military  in- 
stitutions of  the  country,  against  what  he  consid- 
ered the  doctrines  of  the  oration.  Judge  Rogers 


100        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

gave  as  a  sentiment,  "  That  high  and  honorable 
feeling  which  makes  the  citizen  a  soldier,  and  the 
soldier  a  citizen."  Not  a  word  in  commendation 
of  the  young  orator.  He  stood  alone.  But  he 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  at  all  daunted.  He 
calmly  rose,  and,  in  a  spirit  in  harmony  with  his 
theme,  said  that  he  would  not  follow  with  a  single 
word  the  apple  of  discord  which  he  seemed  to 
have  thrown  that  day,  but  would  call  their  atten- 
tion to  that  part  of  the  performance  in  the  church 
with  regard  to  which  there  could  be  no  difference 
of  opinion,  referring  to  the  part  taken  by  the  chil- 
dren, and  would  speak  of  the  public  schools  of 
the  city. 

It  may  be  remarked  that  Mr.  Sumner  does  not 
seem  to  have  taken  a  stand  against  war  as  a  de- 
fence in  case  of  actual  aggression,  but  against  it 
as  an  established  method  for  the  settlement  of 
international  difficulties.  Who  can  refuse  his 
assent  to  such  sentiments  as  these,  from  the  ora- 
tion? 

"  Stripped  of  all  delusive  apology,  .  .  .  war 
falls  from  glory  •  into  barbarous  guilt,  taking  its 
place  among  bloody  transgressions,  while  its  flam- 
ing honors  are  turned  into  shame.  .  .  .  Amidst 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        101 

the  thunders  of  Sinai  God  declared,  '  Thou  shalt 
not  kill ; '  and  the  voice  of  these  thunders,  with 
this  commandment,  is  prolonged  to  our  day  in  the 
echoes  of  Christian  churches."  Referring  to  the 
maxim,  "  Our  country,  right  or  wrong"  and  to 
another,  "Our  country,  our  whole  country,  and 
nothing  but  our  country,"  he  said,  "  Cold  and 
dreary,  narrow  and  selfish  would  be  this  life,  if 
nothing  but  our  country  occupied  the  soul ;  if  the 
thoughts  that  wander  through  eternity,  if  the  in- 
finite affections  of  our  nature,  were  restrained  to 
that  place  where  we  find  ourselves  by  the  acci- 
dent of  birth.  ...  In  the  faithful  record  of  the 
future,  recognizing  the  true  grandeur  of  nations, 
the  Muse  of  history,  inspired  by  a  loftier  justice, 
and  touched  to  finer  sensibilities,  will  extend  to 
universal  man  the  sympathy  now  confined  to 
country,  and  no  war  will  be  waged  without  arous- 
ing everlasting  judgment." 

He  boldly  proposed  that  the  enormous  sums 
expended  in  preparation  for  war  in  the  time  of 
peace  should  be  devoted  to  objects  of  beneficence 
—  to  schools,  colleges,  churches,  hospitals,  libra- 
ries, —  and  that  our  army  should  be,  not  soldiers, 
but  the  teachers  of  youth  and  the  ministers  of 


102        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

religion.  "This  is  the  cheap  defence  of  nations. 
In  such  intrenchments,  what  Christian  soul  can  be 
troubled  with  fear?  Angels  of  the  Lord  will 
throw  over  the  land  an  invisible  but  impenetrable 
panoply :  — 

'  Or,  if  Virtue  feeble  were. 
Heaven  itself  would  stoop  to  her.'  " 

And  again :  "  True  greatness  consists  in  imitat- 
ing, as  nearly  as  possible  to  finite  man,  the  perfec- 
tions of  an  Infinite  Creator,  —  above  all,  in  culti- 
vating those  highest  perfections,  justice  and  love. 
...  The  true  grandeur  of  humanity  is  in  moral 
elevation,  sustained,  enlightened,  and  decorated 
by  the  intellect  of  man.  The  surest  tokens  of  this 
grandeur  are  that  Christian  beneficence  which 
diffuses  the  greatest  happiness  among  all,  and  that 
passionless,  godlike  justice  which  controls  the 
relations  of  the  nation  to  other  nations,  and  to  all 
the  people  committed  to  its  charge.'7 

If  the  general  voice  was  adverse  to  the  doc- 
trines of  Mr.  Sumner,  John  A.  Andrew  was  not 
slow  to  write  to  his  friend  his  hearty  indorse- 
ment :  "  I  cannot  help  expressing  my  gratitude 
that  here,  in  our  city  of  Boston,  one  has  at  last 
stepped  forward  to  consecrate  to  celestial  hopes 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        103 

the  great  day  which  Americans  have,  at  least 
heretofore,  held  sacred  only  to  memory."  And 
from  his  home  in  Quincy,  the  venerable  John 
Quincy  Adams,  some  months  later,  wrote  to  Mr. 
Sumner  these  remarkable  words :  "  Casting  my 
eyes  backward  no  farther  than  the  Fourth  of  July 
of  last  year,  when  you  set  all  the  vipers  of  Alecto 
a-hissing  by  proclaiming  the  Christian  law  of  uni- 
versal peace  and  love ;  and  then  casting  them  for- 
ward, perhaps  not  much  farther,  but  beyond  my 
own  allotted  time,  I  see  you  have  a  mission  to  per- 
form. I  look  from  Pisgah  to  the  promised  land ; 
you  must  enter  upon  it" 

.  From  England,  Richard  Cobden,  the  great  Lib- 
eral leader,  wrote  to  Mr.  Sumner,  with  reference 
to  that  oration,  "  You  have  made  the  most  noble 
contribution  of  any  modern  writer  to  the  cause  of 
peace." 

In  a  letter  to  the  author,  the  poet  Samuel 
Rogers  wrote,  "What  can  I  say  to  you  in  re- 
turn for  your  admirable  oration  ?  I  can  only  say 
with  what  pleasure  I  have  read  it,  and  how  truly 
every  pulse  of  my  heart  beats  in  accordance  with 
yours  on  the  subject.  .  .  .  Again  and  again  must 
I  thank  you." 


104        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER   X. 

Meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall. — -Speech  against  the 
Admission  of  Texas  as  a  Slave  State.  —  Lyceum 
at  New  Bedford.  —  Lecture  before  the  Boston 
Lyceum.  —  Eulogy  on  Pickering,  Story,  Chan- 
ning,  and  Allston,  before  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society,  at  Harvard  College.  —  Washington 
Allston.  —  "  No  Battle-Piece  I "  —  True  Province 
of  Art. 

MR.  SUMNER  was  now  fairly  before  the  public, 
and  had  given  no  doubtful  indication  of  the  drift 
of  his  future  course.  His  lofty  ideal  was  Right 
—  Right,  as  applied  to  the  improvement  of  man- 
kind. He  had  already  tried  War  by  this  test, 
and  found  it  wanting ;  he  was  now  to  assail 
Slavery  as  radical  injustice.  He  wanted  Peace 
and  Freedom  for  the  whole  world  —  nothing  less. 
He  would  cry  aloud  and  spare  not,  against  -  all 
forms  of  oppression  and  cruelty. 

In    doing   so   he  had   no    desire   for   political 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        105 

office,  and  several  years  were  yet  to  elapse  ere 
he  should  be  forced  into  such  a  position.  But  he 
had  openly  committed  himself  to  the  stream  of 
conflict,  which  was  every  day  growing  more 
troubled  and  tempestuous ;  and  he  was  not  the 
man  to.  desert  the  ship,  or  to  haul  down  his  flag. 
And  so,  four  months  after  his  disquieting  ora- 
tion against  war,  we  find  him  lifting  up  his  voice 
in  opposition  to  the  admission  of  Texas  as  a  slave 
state.  The  slave  power  had  become  alarmingly 
defiant.  Having  secured  Texas  as  a  Territory,  it 
was  resolved  to  have  it  fully  equipped  as  a 
champion  of  slavery  on  the  floor  of  Congress, 
and  in  the  government  of  the  nation.  •  A  meeting 
of  all  who  were  opposed  to  this  movement  was 
held  in  Faneuil  Hall,  November  4,  presided 
over  by  Charles  Francis  Adams.  There  Charles 
Sumner  stood  beside  William  Lloyd  Garrison  and 
Wendell  Phillips.  Among  the  resolutions,  which 
were  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Sumner  was  the  following : 
"  Be  it  resolved,  in  the  name  of  .God,  of  Christ, 
and  of  humanity,  that  we,  belonging  to  all  politi- 
cal parties,  and  reserving  all  other  reasons  of 
objection,  unite  in  protest  against  the  admission 
of  Texas  into  the  Union  as  a  slave  state." 


106        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Mr.  Sunmer  followed  with  a  speech,  in  which 
he  said,  "  Congress  is  asked  to  sanction  the  con- 
stitution of  Texas,  which  not  only  supports 
slavery,  but  contains  a  clause  prohibiting  the 
legislature  of  the  state  from  abolishing  slavery. 
In  doing  this,  it  will  give  a  fresh  stamp  of  legis- 
lative approbation  to  an  unrighteous  system  ;  it 
will  assume  a  new  and  active  responsibility  for 
this  system ;  it  will  again  become  a  dealer  in 
human  flesh,  and  on  a  gigantic  scale.  At  this 
moment,  when  the  conscience  of  mankind  is  at 
last  aroused  to  the  enormity  of  holding  a  fellow- 
man  in  bondage,  when,  throughout  the  civilized 
world,  a  slave-dealer  is  a  by-word  and  a  reproach, 
we,  as  a  nation,  are  about  to  become  proprietors 
of  a  large  population  of  slaves." 

In  answer  to  the  objection  that  Massachusetts 
might  stand  alone  in  her  opposition,  he  said,  — 
"But  we  cannot  fail  to  accomplish  great  good. 
It  is  in  obedience  to  a  prevailing  law  of  Provi- 
dence, that  no  act  of  self-sacrifice,  of  devotion 
to  duty,  of  humanity  can  fail.  It  stands  forever 
as  a  landmark,  from  which,  at  least,  to  make 
a  new  effort.  .  .  .  Massachusetts  must  con- 
tinue foremost  in  the  cause  of  freedom ;  nor 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        107 

can  her  children  yield  to  deadly  dalliance  with 
slavery.'7 

It  was  a  stormy  night  on  which  this  meeting 
was  held,  and  the  slave  power  took  occasion  from 
that  circumstance,  the  next  day,  to  growl  out  its 
wrath  against  those  who  had  dared  to  question 
its  infallibility,  through  the  Daily  Times,  a  Demo- 
cratic paper  of  Boston.  "  The  elements  seemed 
determined  not  to  sanction  any  such  traitor-like 
movement,  and  interposed  every  obstacle  to  its 
success.  It  was  proper  that  such  a  foul  project 
should  have  foul  weather  as  an  accompaniment." 

A  few  weeks  later,  Mr.  Sumner  was  invited  to 
lecture  before  the  Lyceum  at  New  Bedford  ;  but 
he  refused  to  go,  as  Mr.  Phillips  and  George  Wil- 
liam Curtis  had  done  before  this,  for  the  reason 
that  colored  persons  were  not  allowed  to  purchase 
tickets,  and  were  only  admitted,  free  of  expense, 
provided  they  would  sit  in  "  the  north  gallery." 
In  his  letter  to  the  committee,  Mr.  Sumner  said, 
"  One  of  the  cardinal  truths  of  religion  and 
freedom  is  the  equality  and  brotherhood  of  man. 
In  the  sight  of  God  and  of  all  just  institutions, 
the  white  man  can  claim  no  precedence  or  exclu- 
sive privilege  from  his  color.  It  is  the  accident 


108       LIFE  OF  CHARLES  8UMNER. 

of  an  accident  that  places  a  human  soul  beneath 
the  dark  shelter  of  an  African  countenance, 
rather  than  beneath  our  colder  complexion.  Nor 
can  I  conceive  any  application  of  the  divine 
injunction,  '  Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have 
them  do  unto  you,'  more  pertinent  than  to  the  man 
who  founds  a  discrimination  between  his  fellowr- 
men  on  difference  of  skin.  It  is  well  known  that 
the  prejudice  of  color,  which  is  akin  to  the  stern 
and  seliish  spirit  that  holds  a  fellow-man  in 
slavery,  is  peculiar  to  our  country.  It  does  not 
exist  in  other  civilized  countries.  In  France, 
colored  youths  at  college  have  gained  the  highest 
honors,  and  been  welcomed  as  if  they  were  white. 
•At. the  law  school  there,  I  have  sat  with  them 
on  the  same  bench.  .  .  .  All  this  was  Christian ; 
so  it  seemed  to  me." 

This  rule  was  soon  after  rescinded. 

In  February  of  the  next  year,  Mr.  Sunnier 
lectured  before  the  Boston  Lyceum  on  the  Em- 
ployment of  Time  —  a  paper  replete  with  valua- 
ble suggestions. 

"  The  hours  spent  in  listlessness,  or  squandered 
in  unprofitable  dissipation,  gathered  into  aggre- 
gates, are  hours,  days,  weeks,  months,  years. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        109 

The  daily  sacrifice  of  a  single  hour  during  a 
year  comes,  at  its  end,  to  thirty-six  working  days, 
allowing  ten  hours  to  the  day  —  an  amount  of 
time,  if  devoted  exclusively  to  one  object,  ample 
for  the  acquisition  of  important  knowledge,  and 
for  the  accomplishment  of  inconceivable  good. 
Imagine  a,  month  dedicated,  without  interruption, 
to  a  single  purpose,  —  to  the  study  of  a  new  lan- 
guage, an  untried  science,  an  unexplored  field  of 
history,  a  fresh  department  of  philosophy,  or  to 
some  new  sphere  of  action,  some  labor  of  human- 
ity, some  godlike  charity,  —  and  what  visions 
must  not  rise  of  untold  accumulations  of  knowl- 
edge, of  unnumbered  deeds  of  goodness  !  " 

Referring  with  praise  to  the  valuable  precepts 
of  Franklin,  in  favor  of  industry  and  economy,  he 
adds : — 

"  It  cannot  fail  to  be  regretted,  that  the  lessons 
taught  by  Franklin  are  so  little  spiritual  in  their 
character  —  that  they  are  so  material,  so  mun- 
dane,, so  full  of  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence. 
'The  almighty  dollar,'  now  ruling  here  with 
sovereign  sway  and  masterdom,  was  placed  on 
the  throne  by  Poor  Richard.  When  shall  it  be 
dethroned  ?  When  shall  the  thoughts,  the  aspira- 


110  LIFE   OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

tions,  the  politics  of  the  land  be  lifted  from  the 
mere  greed  of  gain,  with  an  appetite  that  grows 
by  what  it  feeds  on,  into  the  serene  region  of 
inflexible  justice  and  universal  benevolence  ?  " 

Addressing  the  young,  he  said,  — 

"The  image  of  God  is  in  the  soul,  and  the 
young  must  take  heed  that  it  is  not  effaced  by 
the  neglect  of  any  of  the  trusts  they  have  se- 
cured. They  must  bear  in  mind  that  there  are 
debts  other  than  to  their  profession  or  business, 
which,  like  gratitude,  it  will  ever  be  their  pleas- 
ure, l  still  paying,  still  to  owe/  which  can  be 
properly  discharged  only  by  the  best  employ- 
ment of  all  the  faculties  with  which  they  are 
blessed,  so  that  life  shall  be  improved  by  culture 
and  filled  with  works  for  the  good  of  man." 

On  the  6th  of  August,  Mr.  Sumner  pronounced 
before  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  of  Harvard 
College,  a  eulogy  on  four  distinguished  Ameri- 
cans, John  Pickering,  the  scholar,  Joseph  Story, 
the  jurist,  Washington  Allston,  the  artist,  and 
William  Ellery  Channing,  the  philanthropist.  It 
was  an  elegant  and  eloquent  tribute  to  their 
worth.  But  it  is  particularly  interesting  as  show- 
ing how  thoroughly  Mr.  Sumner 's  mind  was 


LIFE  OF  CHABLES  SUMNEB.        Ill 

possessed  by  the  idea  of  justice,  and  how  clearly 
it  perceived  the  grand  duty  of  men  of  culture  to 
consecrate  their  acquisitions  to  the  good  of  the 
race.  These  great  men,  of  whom  he  was  speak- 
ing, "  lived  for  knowledge,  justice,  beauty,  love. 
.  .  .  They  were  all  philanthropists,  for  the  labors 
of  all  were  directed  to  the  welfare  and  happiness 
of  man." 

In  that  part  of  the  address  which  speaks  of 
Allston,  we  notice  how  eagerly  Mr.  Sumner 
seized  the  opportunity  to  expatiate  on  the  highest 
aim  and  duty  of  Art.  Before  a  literary  audience, 
he  still  presses  the  paramount  claims  of  humanity. 
The  assault  on  war,  which,  a  year  before,  had 
exposed  him  to  sharp  and  vipery  criticism,  he 
now  renews  in  a  selector  presence  with  equal 
earnestness :  "  Allston  was  a  Christian  artist ; 
and  the  beauty  of  expression  lends  uncommon 
charm  to  his  colors.  All  that  he  did  shows 
purity,  sensibility,  refinement,  delicacy,  feeling, 
rather  than  force.  His  genius  was  almost  femi- 
nine. As  he  advanced  in  years,  this  was  more 
remarked.  His  pictures  became  more  and  more 
instinct  with  those  sentiments  which  form  the 
true  glory  of  art.  Early  in  life  he  had  a  partiali- 


112  LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

ty  for  pieces  representing  banditti;  but  this  taste 
does  not  appear  in  his  later  works.  And  when 
asked  if  he  would  undertake  to  fill  the  vacant 
panels  in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  at  Washing- 
ton, ...  he  is  reported  to  have  said,  *  I  will 
paint  only  one  subject,  and  choose  my  own. 
No  battle-piece!' 

"  Admitting  the  calamitous  necessity  of  war, 
it  can  never  be  with  pleasure  —  it  cannot  be 
without  sadness  unspeakable  —  that  we  survey 
its  fiendish  encounter.  The  artist  of  purest  aim, 
sensitive  to  these  emotions,  withdraws  naturally 
from  the  field  of  blood,  confessing  that  no  scene 
of  battle  finds  a  place  in  the  highest  art,  —  that 
man,  created  in  the  image  of  God,  can  never  be 
pictured  degrading,  profaning,  violating  that 
sacred  image.  .  .  .  There  are  tragedies  which 
History  enters  sorrowfully,  tearfully,  in  her  faith- 
ful record ;  but  this  generous  Muse,  with  too  at- 
tractive colors,  must  not  perpetuate  the  passions 
from  which  they  sprang,  or  the  griefs  which  they 
caused.  Be  it  her  duty  to  dwell  with  eulogy  and 
pride  on  all  that  is  magnanimous,  lovely,  benefi- 
cent ;  let  this  be  preserved  by  votive  canvas,  and 
marble  also.  But  No  battle-piece  /  .  .  .  The  time 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER.  113 

is  at  hand  when  religion,  humanity,  and  taste  will 
concur  in  rejecting  any  image  of  human  strife. 
Lais  and  Phryne  have  fled.  Bacchus  and  Silenus 
are  driven  reeling  from  the  scene.  Mars  will 
soon  follow,  howling,  as  with  that  wound  from  the 
Grecian  spear  before  Troy.  ...  In  the  mission  of 
teaching  to  nations  and  to  individuals  wherein  is 
true  greatness,  Art  has  a  noble  office.  If  not 
herald,  she  is  at  least  handmaid  of  Truth.  Her 
lessons  may  not  train  the  intellect,  but  they  can- 
not fail  to  touch  the  heart.  Who  can  measure 
the  influence  from  an  image  of  beauty,  affection, 
and  truth  ?  The  Christus  Consolator  of  Scheffer, 
without  a  word,  wins  the  soul." 

It  is  worthy  of  mention,  that  among  the  pic- 
tures with  which,  years  after,  Mr.  Sumner  adorned 
his  house  at  Washington,  no  battle-scene  had 
a  place,  but  there  was  a  St.  Mark  descending 
from  the  skies  to  rescue  a  slave  in  the  slave- 
market. 

When  Mr.  SumneiT  came  to  speak  of  Chan, 
ning,  he  came  again  upon  war  and  slavery.  He 
well  knew  that  many  present  would  consider 
those  subjects  wholly  out  of  place  at  such  a 
time,  and  hence  he  said,  with  what  seems  like  a, 
8 


114        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

kind  of  grim  humor,  "  All  will  see  that  I  cannot 
pass  these  on  this  occasion ;  for  not  to  speak  of 
them  would  be  to  present  a  portrait  in  which  the 
most  distinctive  features  were  wanting."  With 
that  graceful  excuse  he  dealt  some  more  lusty 
blows  at  "  those  two  terrible  scourges,"  including 
a  reference  to  the  annexation  of  Texas,  a  war 
with  Mexico,  and  the  extension  of  slavery. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  oration,  Mr.  Sumner, 
having  spoken  of  the  subjects  of  his  eulogy  as  all 
philanthropists,  added,  — 

"  In  their  presence  how  truly  do  we  feel  the 
insignificance  of  office  and  wealth,  which  men 
so  hotly  pursue !  What  is  office  ?  and  what 
is  wealth?  Expressions  or  representatives  of 
what  is  present  and  fleeting  only,  investing  the 
possessor  with  a  brief  and  local  regard.  .  .  . 
They  who  live  for  wealth,  and  the  things  of  this 
world,  follow  shadows,  neglecting  realities  eternal 
on  earth  and  in  heaven.  After  the  perturbations 
of  life,  all  its  accumulated  possessions  must  be 
resigned,  except  those  only  which  have  been 
devoted  to  God  and  mankind.  What  we  do  for 
ourselves  perishes  with  this  mortal  dust ;  what  we 
do  for  others  lives  coeval  with  the  benefaction." 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        115 

A  marked  quality  of  Mr.  Simmer's  character 
was  hopefulness  as  to  the  triumph  of  truth  and 
justice.  However  dark  the  present  aspect,  or 
bitter  the  strife,  he  never  doubted  that  success 
would  come  to  the  right.  A  short  poem  which  he 
introduced  into  this  oration  well  indicates  this 
firm,  serene  faith  in  the  good  and  the  true :  — 

"  There's  a  fount  about  to  stream, 
There's  a  light  about  to  beam, 
There's  a  warmth  about  to  glow, 
There's  a  flower  about  to  blow, 
There's  a  midnight  blackness  changing 

Into  gray : 
Men  of  thought  and  men  of  action, 

Clear  the  way ! 

Aid  the  dawning,  tongue  and  pen  ! 
Aid  it,  hopes  of  honest  men  ! 
Aid  it,  paper !  aid  it,  type  ! 
Aid  it,  for  the  hour  is  ripe, 
And  our  earnest  must  not  slacken 

Into  play : 
Men  of  thought  and  men  of  action, 

Clear  the  way !  " 

Such  was  Mr.  Sumner's  message  to  the  then  con- 
servative Harvard  and  conservative  Boston,  and 
such  his  endeavor  to  kindle  a  generous  enthusi- 
asm for  humanity  among  the  young  scholars  of 
the  land.  Those  ringing  words,  "  Clear  the  way," 
were  as  the  sound  of  a  trumpet.  With  what  dis- 


116        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

may  must  they  have  fallen  upon  the  ears  of  men 
who  loved  soft  words  of  compromise,  and  dreaded 
above  all  things  agitation  1  Doubtless  they  in- 
spired some  younger  hearts  with  a  noble  ambi- 
tion to  "  clear  the  way  "  for  liberty  throughout 
the  land. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        117 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Wliig  State  Convention.  —  Duty  of  the  Whig 
Party.  —  Appeal  to  Daniel  Webster.  —  Mr. 
Winthrop.  —  Wliite  Slavery.  —  Public  Schools. 
—  Prison  Discipline. 


^  have  seen  Mr.  Sumner  making  a  literary 
festival  serve  the  great  interests  of  humanity. 
Letters,  with  him,  were  not  an  end  ;  they  were 
an  elegant  accomplishment  and  recreation,  the 
ornament  and  grace  of  life,  and  helps  to  more 
complete  and  effective  work  in  the  .great  field 
of  human  improvement.  And  so  he  gracefully 
passes  from  the  Academy  to  the  Forum. 

About  a  month  after  this,  September  23,  1846, 
his  voice  is  heard  at  a  Whig  State  Convention  in 
Faneuil  Hall.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Whig- 
party,  and  anxious  to  have  it  maintain  its  in- 
tegrity. His  associations  with  it  had  been  of 
the  most  friendly  character.  In  his  opinion,  it 
had  been  the  party  of  freedom  and  progress. 


118        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

He  still  believed  that  it  might  be  kept  true  to 
its  patriotic  and  liberal  principles. 

But,  in  order  to  that,  the  friends  of  free- 
dom must  bestir  themselves.  The  time  for  neu- 
trality was  past.  The  Whig  party  must  demand 
the  repeal  of  slavery  under  the  constitution  and 
laws  of  the  national  government.  They  must 
"  choose  men  who  will  devote  themselves  ear- 
nestly, heartily  to  the  work,  —  who  will  enter 
upon  it  with  awakened  conscience,  and  with 
that  valiant  faith,  before  which  all  obstacles  dis- 
appear, —  who  will  be  ever  loyal  to  truth,  free- 
dom, right,  humanity,  —  who  will  not  look  for 
rules  of  conduct  down  to  earth,  in  the  mire  of 
expediency,  but  with  heaven-directed  counte- 
nance seek  those  great  '  primal  duties '  which 
1  shine  aloft  like  stars/  to  illumine  alike  the  path 
of  individuals  and  of  nations.  They  must  be 
true  to  the  principles  of  Massachusetts.  They 
must  not  be  Northern  men  with  Southern  prin- 
ciples, nor  Northern  men  under  Southern  influ- 
ences. They  must  be  courageous  and  willing  on 
all  occasions  to  stand  alone,  provided  right  be 
with  them.  .  .  .  There  are  a  few  such  now  in 
Congress.  Massachusetts  has  a  venerable  rep- 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        119 

resentative,  whose  aged  bosom  still  glows  with 
inextinguishable  fires,  like  the  central  heats  of 
the  monarch  mountain  of  the  Andes  beneath  its 
canopy  of  snow.  To  this  cause  he  devotes  the 
closing  energies  of  a  long  and  illustrious  life. 
Would  that  all  might  join  him  !  " 

All  which  was  like  a  bracing  north  wind. 
Would  the  Whig  party  turn  towards  it  its  already 
feverish  face,  and  be  quickened  to  a  new  life  ? 
Alas  for  the  fond  dreamer !  He  was  piping  to 
a  party  that  would  call  him  an  enthusiast,  and 
before  long  a  fanatic.  Its  very  tower  of  strength 
had  already  become  a  leaning  tower,  destined  to 
an  ignominious  fall. 

But  as  yet  there  was  hope.  And  Mr.  Sumner 
pleaded  with  Daniel  Webster  to  be  true  to  free- 
dom. "  There  is,"  said  he,  "  a  senator  of  Mas- 
sachusetts we  had  hoped  to  welcome  here  to-day, 
whose  position  is  of  commanding  influence.  Let 
me  address  him  with  the  respectful  frankness 
of  a  constituent  arid  friend.  Already,  sir,  by 
various  labors,  you  have  acquired  an  honorable 
place  in  the  history  of  our  country.  By  the 
vigor,  argumentation,  and  eloquence  with  which 
you  upheld  the  Union,  and  that  interpretation  of 


120        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

the  constitution  which  makes  us  a  nation,  you 
have  justly  earned  the  title  of  Defender  of  the 
Constitution.  .  .  .  Pardon  me  if  I  add  that  there 
are  yet  other  duties  claiming  your  care,  whose 
performance  will  be  the  crown  of  a  long  life  in  the 
public  service.  Do  not  forget  them.  Dedicate, 
sir,  the  years  happily  in  store  for  you,  with  all 
that  grand  experience  which  is  yours,  to  grand 
endeavor  in  the  name  of  human  freedom,  for  the 
overthrow  of  that  terrible  evil  which  now  afflicts 
our  country.  ...  Do  not  shrink  from  the  task.  .  .  . 
Assume,  then,  these  unperformed  duties.  The 
aged  shall  bear  witness  to  you ;  the  young  shall 
kindle  with  rapture,  as  they  repeat  the  name  of 
Webster ;  the  large  company  of  the  ransomed 
shall  teach  their  children  and  their  children's 
children,  to  the  latest  generation,  to  call  you 
blessed ;  you  shall  have  yet  another  title,  never 
to  be  forgotten  on  earth  or  in  heaven,  —  Defender 
of  Humanity,  —  by  the  side  of  which  the  earlier 
title  will  fade  into  insignificance,  as  the  consti- 
tution, which  is  the  work  of  mortal  hands, 
dwindles  by  the  side  of  man,  created  in  the 
image  of  God." 

We   cannot  wonder   that  this   eloquent    and 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        121 

faithful  appeal  to  Webster  was  "  received  with 
great  applause."  Would  that  its  admonitions  had 
been  heeded  by  the  great  statesman  to  whom 
they  were  addressed.* 

They  are  remarkable  words,  as  describing  to 
the  life  his  own  course  in  after  years  as  the  suc- 
cessor of  Webster,  and  the  glorious  reward  of 
his  faithful  service  for  humanity,  of  which  the 
earnest  has  already  eome.  The  blessings  of 
"  the  ransomed/7  which  he  hoped  might  crown 
another's  head,  have  fallen  upon  his  own.  The 
nation,  regardless  of  party,  delights  to  honor  him 
as  the  Defender  of  Humanity. 

This  speech,  with  its  warning  to  the  great 
senator,  was  followed,  a  month  later,  by  a  letter 
to  another  distinguished  Massachusetts  Whig, 

*  This  warning  proved  not  to  be  unnecessary.  For  it  is  useless 
to  deny  that  Daniel  Webster  did  falter  in  his  duty  in  the  treatment 
of  the  slavery  question,  and  that  he  was  guilty  of  a  great  error  and 
wrong,  when,  in  an  hour  of  temptation,  he  suffered  himself  to  be 
betrayed  into  that  most  unfortunate  speech  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  March  1,  1850,  in  which  he  advocated  the  infamous  Fugi- 
tive Slave  Bill.  It  was  against  all  the  better  instincts  of  Tiis  heart 
and  the  real  convictions  of  his  judgment.  In  this  he  was  false  to 
iiimself.  He  had  done  grand  service  to  his  country.  His  previous 
speeches  abound  with  noble  sentiments,  powerfully  and  eloquently 
expressed,  and  are  well  worth  the  study  of  every  American.  His 
life,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Banvard,  D.  D.,  is  a  very  interesting  and  in- 
structive volume  for  the  young. 


122        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

then  a  representative  in  Congress — Robert  C. 
Winthrop. 

As  a  consequence  of  annexing  Texas,  war 
with  Mexico  had  come;  and  Mr.  Winthrop  had 
voted  for  the  Mexican  War  Bill,  and  defended 
it  with  much  ardor.  As  a  brother  Whig,  as  a 
constituent,  as  a  friend,  Mr.  Sumner  administers 
what  he  believes  to  be  a  wholesome  rebuke.* 
He  wonders  that  a  son  of  Massachusetts  could 
have  sanctioned  an  aggressive  war  upon  Mexico, 
and  in  the  interests  of  slavery. 

To  the  question,  What  shall  be  done  ?  Mr.  Sum- 
ner is  at  no  hesitation  for  an  answer.  Retreat, 
recall  the  troops,  acknowledge  our  wrong  to  an 
unoffending  neighbor. 

Such  was  the  lofty  Christian  morality  which 
Mr.  Sumner  brought  to  bear  upon  the  subject. 
He  saw  no  shame  in  doing  right,  in  confessing 
and  repairing  a  wrong.  It  was  noble  and  Chris- 

*  Mr.  Winthrop  is  well  known  as  a  gentleman  of  eminent  ability 
and  culture,  of  great  private  worth,  and  of  pure  and  patriotic  pur- 
poses; but  his  political  course,  like  that  of  other  public  men,  is 
open  to  criticism.  Mr.  Sumner —  and  in  this  he  was  far  from  being 
alone  —  believed  Mr.  Winthrop  to  have  made  a  sad  mistake  in  his 
treatment  of  slavery,  especially  as  connected  with  the  Mexican 
war.  But  that  gentleman  has  lately  borne  generous  testimony  to 
Mr.  Stunner's  worth,  and  has  said  that  their  differences  of  opinion 
related  more  to  measures  than  to  ends. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        123 

tian.  "  Aloft  on  the  throne  of  God,  and  not  below 
in  the  footsteps  of  a  trampling  multitude,  are 
the  sacred  rules  of  right,  which  no  majorities 
can  displace  or  overturn." 

Mr.  Sumner's  bold  opposition  to  the  war  for 
slavery  awakened  a  desire,  among  those  who 
sympathized  with  his  views,  that  he  would  allow 
himself  to  be  a  candidate  for  representative 
against  Mr.  Winthrop.  His  name  was  proposed, 
but  he  would  not  consent  to  let  it  stand.  He  did 
not  wish  for  office,  and  he  would  not  "  suffer  the 
force  of  his  denunciations  of  the  war  and  of 
slavery  to  be  weakened  by  the  suspicion  that  he 
was  influenced  by  selfish  motives."  He  would 
not  have  it  said  that  he  used  pious  words  as  a 
cloak  for  ambition.  This  was  in  1846.  And  for 
five  years  longer  he  fought  with  the  wild  beasts 
of  war  and  slavery  in  a  private  capacity.  If  ever 
there  was  a  man  who  was  not  a  demagogue,  Mr. 
Sumner  deserves  that  honor. 

Mr.  Sumner  had  put  his  hand  to  the  plough, 
and  would  not  look  back.  Being  invited  to  lec- 
ture before  the  Boston  Mercantile  Library  Asso- 
ciation, which  he  did  early  in  1847,  he  chose  for  his 
theme,  "  White  Slavery  in  the  Barbary  States." 


124        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

So*long  as  slavery  existed  in  our  country,  he  felt 
that  its  suppression  ought  to  be  the  one  great 
idea  with  every  American.  But  "  before  a  pro- 
miscuous audience,  it  was  at  that  time  a  subject 
too  delicate  to  be  treated  directly,"  and  Mr. 
Sumner  ingeniously  discussed  white  slavery, 
which,  of  course,  every  white  person,  of  what- 
ever party,  or  of  whatever  opinion  about  ne- 
groes, was  ready  to  condemn.  Thus  would  he 
catch  his  hearers  "  by  guile."  The  transition 
was  not  difficult  from  white  slavery  to  black 
slavery. 

Mr.  Sumner  cited  instances  of  efforts  to  es- 
cape from  Algerine  captivity,  as  for  instance,  that 
of  Cervantes,  the  illustrious  author  of  Don 
Quixote,  and  also  those  of  American  citizens 
—  for  Americans  were  reduced  to  slavery,  down 
to  the  year  1816.  What  hearer,  with  such  cases 
before  him,  would  not  sympathize  with  these 
glowing  words  ?  —  "  Endeavors  for  freedom  are 
animating;  nor  can  any  honest  nature  hear  of 
them  without  a  throb  of  sympathy.  Dwelling 
on  the  painful  narrative  of  unequal  contest  be- 
tween tyrannical  power  and  the  crushed  captive, 
we  resolutely  enter  the  lists  on  the  side  of  free- 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        125 

dom ;  and  beholding  the  contest  waged  by  a  few 
individuals,  or,  perhaps,  by  one  alone,  .our  sym- 
pathy is  given  to  his  weakness  as  well  as  to  his 
cause.  To  him  we  send  the  unfaltering  succor 
of  good  wishes.  For  him  we  invoke  vigor  of 
arm  and  fleetness  of  foot  to  escape.  Human 
enactments  are  vain  to  restrain  the  warm  tides  of 
the  heart." 

The  lecture  was  repeated  in  many  parts  of 
Massachusetts,  and  was  an  important  means  of 
training  the  people,  in  a  way  not  calculated  to 
arouse  their  prejudices,  for  the  struggle  that  was 
before  the  country. 

But  Mr.  Sumner's  thoughts  were  not  wholly 
given  to  slavery.  He  was  a  philanthropist  in 
the  broadest  sense.  Hence  we  find  him  giving 
much  attention  to  the  cause  of  Education,  espe- 
cially in  the  public  schools  of  Boston,  whose 
improvement  he  earnestly  favored. 

At  this  time  there  prevailed  what  was  called 
the  "  double-headed  system  "  —  two  masters  over 
each  school.  Now,  it  has  always  been  found  diffi- 
cult, from  ancient  times  to  our  own,  to  have  "  two 
Caesars  in  Rome."  It  was  so  in  Boston.  The 
masters  often  disagreed,  and  as  each  was  the 


126        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

equal  of  the  other,  confusion  and  trouble  were 
the  result. 

Rev.  Rollin  H.  Neale,  D.  D.,  a  member  of  the 
school  committee,  was  the  first  to  propose  and 
advocate  a  change  of  system.  He  would  cut  off 
one  of  the  heads,  leaving  a  single  one  to  be 
"  master  of  the  situation."  He  also  urged  the  em- 
ployment, to  a  large  extent,  of  female  teachers. 

Both  these  proposals  were  for  a  time  received 
with  much  disapprobation,  by  a  majority  of  the 
directors  of  the  schools.  The  innovation  was 
preposterous.  But  among  the  advocates  of  the 
change  was  Charles  Sumner.  His  voice  was 
ever  on  the  side  of  improvement.  Tradition  and 
prescription  had  no  charm  for  his  active  and  en- 
lightened mind. 

Mr.  Sumner  was  also  much  interested  in  Pau- 
perism and  Prison  Discipline.  Upon  the  latter 
subject  he  wrote  an  able  article  for  the  Christian 
Examiner. 

To  this,  as  to  every  benevolent  cause  in  which 
he  was  engaged,  he  brought  that  strong  sense  of 
right,  that  earnest  love  of  truth,  which  we  have 
seen  to  characterize  his  political  action.  And 
thus  it  happened,  that,  as  in  the  Whig  party,  so 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER.  127 

in  the  Boston  Prison  Discipline  Society,  he  was 
regarded  by  many  very  much  as  a  "  thorn  in  the 
flesh."  His  idealism  was  troublesome.  He  was 
not  content  that  the  annual  report  of  the  secretary 
should  be  meekly  received  with  an  annual  satisfac 
tion.  He  thought  that  the  spirit  of  the  secretary 
was  narrow  and  illiberal,  and  he  said  so.  It  was 
wedded  to  a  particular  system,  and  would  give 
no  ear  to  arguments  in  favor  of  any  other.  This 
was  offensive  to  his  progressive  and  liberal  mind. 
He  wanted  the  society  to  be  more  active  and 
more  open  to  conviction,  to  be  ready  for  informa- 
tion and  advice  from  any  quarter. 

It  seems  strange  to  us  that  so  reasonable  a  de- 
mand should  have  provoked  so  much  opposition, 
controversy,  and  ill-feeling  for  a  series  of  years. 
But  so  it  was.  The  secretary  favored  the  Auburn 
or  social  system,  Mr.  Sumner  the  Philadelphia 
or  separate  system.  Boston  was  proud  of  her 
method,  and  was  not  willing  to  learn  from  Phila- 
delphia. Mr.  Sumner  was  a  Bostonian,  but  he 
did  not  believe  that  Boston  was  all  the  world. 
He  wanted  fair  play,  and  an  open,  generous 
policy.  And  so,  parties  were  formed,  there  was 
private  and  public  controversy,  the  newspapers 


128  LIFE   OF  CHARLES   SUMNER. 

took  up  the  quarrel,  and  foreign  countries  became 
interested  in  the  debate. 

Among  those  who  sympathized  with  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  were  Dr.  Samuel  Gr.  Howe,  Mr.  Hillard,  and 
Dr.  Francis  Wayland,  president  of  Brown  Uni- 
versity, and  these  were  styled  "  intruders." 

The  difficulty  began  early  in  1845,  and  in 
June,  1847,  at  a  public  meeting  of  the  society 
in  Tremont  Temple,  a  committee,  of  which  Mr. 
Sumner  was  one,  brought  forward  a  report  em- 
bodying his  views.  These  were  explained  and 
defended  in  a  speech,  courteous  but  plain-dealing. 
The  system  which  Mr.  Sumner  favored  he  thus 
briefly  described :  "  1.  Separation  of  the  prisoners 
from  each  other ;  2.  Labor  in  the  cell ;  3.  Exer- 
cise in  the  open  air ;  4.  Visits ;  5.  Books ;  6.  Moral 
and  religious  instruction.  Its  fundamental  doc- 
trine, and  only  essential  element,  is  separation  of 
prisoners  from  each  other,  on  which  may  be  in- 
grafted solace  of  any  kind  needful  to  health  of 
body  or  mind.'7 

Alluding  to  the  practical  working  of  the  society, 
Mr.  Sumner  said,  "  Look  at  our  grandiose  organi- 
zation. We  have  a  president,  with  forty  vice- 
presidents,  or,  borrowing  an  illustration  from 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        129 

Turkey,  <a  pacha  with  forty  tails.'  Then  we 
have  a  large  body  of  foreign  correspondents, 
whose  names  we  print  in  capitals,  —  fancy  men, 
as  they  have  been  called,  because  they  are  for 
show,  I  suppose,  like  our  vice-presidents.  Then 
there  are  scores  of  directors,  and  a  board  of  mana- 
gers. Now,  I  know  full  well,  that,  of  these,  very 
few  interest  themselves  so  much  in  our  society 
as  to  attend  its  sessions.  At  the  meeting  last 
year  for  the  choice  of  officers,  there  were  ten 
present.  We  ten  chose  the  whole  army  of  vice- 
presidents  and  all.  And  then,  too,  the  secretary 
politely  furnished  us  printed  tickets  bearing  their 
names  and  his  own.  Certainly,  sir,  something 
should  be  done  to  mend  this  matter.  We  must 
cease  to  have  so  many  officers,  or  they  must  par- 
ticipate actively  in  the  duties  of  the  society." 

Who  does  not  sigh  for  such  an  inspector  of 
some  of  our  more  modern  "  grandiose  "  organiza- 
tions ?  Would  he  be  deemed  an  "  intruder  "  ? 

Such  Mr.  Sumner  did  not  cease  to  be  considered 
when  he  transferred  his  investigations  from  the 
Boston  society  to  the  nation.  That  sentiment 
of  Right  was  destined  to  startle  conservatives 
out  of  their  propriety,  and  to  be  a  terror  to 
9 


130        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

evil    doers.      He   was    indeed  a   terrible    "in- 
truder." 

It  should  be  added,  that  doubtless  the  men 
who  stood  in  the  opposition  to  Mr.  Sumner,  in  the 
above  controversy,  were  as  honest  'and  honor- 
able as  himself.  They  were  good  and  true  men. 
But,  like  many  other  good  and  true  men,  they 
were,  it  would  appear,  morbidly  conservative. 
There  was  needed  a  new  element,  and  Mr.  Sum- 
ner's  treatment  of  the  case,  though  not  for  the 
present  joyous  but  grievous,  was  calculated  to 
work  the  peaceable  fruits  of  less  parade  of  names, 
and  more  liberality  and  energy. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        131 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Address  at  Amherst  College.  —  "  Fame  and  Glory.1" 

—  Young  Men.  —  True  Object  of  Life.  —  Whig 
Meeting  at  Boston.  —  Whig  State  Convention.  — 
The  Whig  Party  "found  wanting."  —  Party  of 
Freedom.  —  Enthusiastic  Meeting  at  Worcester. 

—  At  Union  College.  —  u  Law  of  Human  Prog- 
ress." 

MR.  SUMNER'S  heart  and  hands  were  now  full 
of  work.  Less  than  two  months  after  intruding 
upon  the  Prison  Discipline  Society,  he  responded 
to  a  call  from  the  young  men  of  Amherst  College 
to  address  them  at  Commencement.  What  more 
could  he  desire  ?  The  year  before,  he  had  spoken 
at  Harvard  no  uncertain  words  ;  now,  to  another 
company  of  young  scholars,  he  would  repeat  the 
cry,  "  Clear  the  way."  His  theme  was,  Fame 
and  Glory  —  a  theme  hackneyed  enough,  often 
written  about  by  school-boys  and  sophomores; 
but  how,  under  the  master's  touch,  it  glows  with 
new  brightness ' 


132        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

The  times  were  stirring,  great  events  were  at 
hand,  there  was  an  open  field  for  generous  am- 
bition, and  Mr.  Sumner  wished  to  tune  the  spirits 
of  his  auditors,  the  future  hope  of  the  country,  to 
the  demands  of  the  times. 

Some  words  of  his,  written  at  a  later  period, 
well  express  his  present  feelings :  "  Especially 
do  I  invoke  the  young.  They  are  the  natural 
guardians  of  liberty.  Thus  has  it  been  through- 
out all  history ;  and  never  before  in  history  did 
liberty  stand  in  greater  need  of  their  irresistible 
aid.  It  is  the  young  who  give  spontaneous  wel- 
come to  Truth,  when  she  first  appears  an  unat- 
tended stranger.  It  is  the  young  who  open  the 
soul  with  instinctive  hospitality  to  the  noble 
cause." 

Having  this  end  in  view,  he  showed  that  the 
love  of  fame,  a  divinely  implanted  principle,  was 
peculiarly  liable  to  perversion.  He  pointed  out 
the  dangers  to  be  avoided,  the  true  use  and  end 
of  the  desire  for  glory,  how  it  was  to  be  controlled 
by,  and  subordinated  to,  higher  principles. 

"  Whatever/'  he  said,  "  may  be  temporary  ap- 
plause, or  the  expression  of  public  opinion,  it  may 
be  asserted,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  no 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        133 

true  and  permanent  fame  can  be  found  except  in 
labors  which  promote  the  happiness  of  mankind. 
If  these  are  by  Christian  means,  with  disinter- 
rested  motives,  and  with  the  single  aim  of  doing 
good,  they  become  that  rare  and  precious  virtue 
whose  fit  image  is  the  spotless  lily  of  the  field, 
brighter  than  Solomon  in  all  his  glory.'7 

Referring  to  several  military  heroes,  he  said, 
"  There  is  little  of  true  grandeur  in  any  such 
career.  None  of  the  beatitudes  showered  upon 
them  a  blessed  influence.  They  were  not  poor 
in  spirit,  or  meek,  or  merciful,  or  pure  in  heart. 
They  were  not  peacemakers.  They  did  not 
hunger  and  thirst  after  justice.  They  did  not 
suffer  persecution  for  justice's  sake." 

In  honorable  contrast  to  these  men,  and  to  all 
the  fame  of  military  achievements,  he  referred  to 
John  Howard,  who  said,  "Hearing  the  cry  of  the 
miserable,  I  devoted  my  time  to  their  relief;  "  and 
to  Clarkson,  who,  while  yet  in  the  university,  his 
heart  stirred  by  the  horrors  of  the  slave-trade, 
exclaimed,  "  It  is  time  some  person  should  see  these 
calamities  to  their  end  I "  "  Such  are  exemplars 
of  true  glory.  Without  rank,  office,  or  the  sword, 
they  accomplished  immortal  good.  While  on  earth 


134        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

they  labored  for  their  fellow-men  ;  and  now,  sleep- 
ing in  death,  by  example  and  works  they  con- 
tinue the  same  sacred  office.  To  all,  in  every 
sphere  or  condition,  they  teach  the  universal 
lesson  of  magnanimous  duty.  From  the  heights 
of  their  virtue  they  call  upon  us  to  cast  out  the 
lust  of  power,  of  office,  of  wealth,  of  praise,  of  a 
fleeting  popular  favor,  which  l  a  breath  can  make, 
as  a  breath  has  made,'  —  to  subdue  the  constant, 
ever-present  suggestions  of  self,  in  disregard 
of  neighbors,  near  or  remote,  whose  welfare 
should  never  be  forgotten,  —  to  check  the  mad- 
ness of  party,  which,  so  often,  for  the  sake  of 
success,  renounces  the  very  objects  of  success,  — 
and,  finally,  to  introduce  into  our  lives  those  senti- 
ments of  conscience  and  charity  which  animated 
them  to  such  labors. 

"  Nor  should  these  be  holiday  virtues,  marshalled 
on  great  occasions  only.  They  must  become  part 
of  us,  and  of  our  existence,  —  present  on  every 
occasion,  small  or  great,  —  in  those  daily  ameni- 
ties which  add  so  much  to  the  charm  of  life,  as 
also  in  those  grander  duties  which  require  an  en- 
nobling self-sacrifice.  The  former  are  as  flowers, 
whose  odor  is  pleasant,  though  fleeting;  the 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        135 

latter  are  like  the  costly  spikenard  poured  from 
the  box  of  alabaster  upon  the  head  of  the  Lord. 
.  .  .  Their  [men's]  worship  in  the  future  must  be 
the  true  God,  our  Father,  as  he  is  in  heaven,  and 
in  the  beneficent  labors  of  his  children  on  earth. 
Then  farewell  to  the  siren  song  of  a  worldly 
ambition !  Farewell  to  the  vain  desire  of  mere 
literary  success  or  oratorical  display!  Farewell 
to  the  distempered  longing  for  office  I " 

A  few  weeks  later,  and  we  find  Mr.  Sumner  in 
a  Whig  meeting  at  Boston,  urging  the  adoption  of 
resolutions  against  the  annexation  of  any  territory 
by  conquest,  and  against  the  extension  of  slavery. 
They  were  laid  on  the  table ! 

A  fortnight  after,  a  Whig  state  convention 
was  held  in  Springfield  (September  29).  Mr. 
Webster  was  there,  Mr.  Winthrop,  Mr.  Palfrey, 
Mr.  Charles  F.  Adams,  Mr.  Sumner,  and  other 
notables.  It  was  the  last  time  of  Mr.  Sumner 's 
appearance  at  a  Whig  meeting.  The  strong  cur- 
rent of  the  party  was  proved  to  be  in  the  direc- 
tion of  compromise.  All  real  heart  had  gone  out 
of  it.  It  refused  to  place  itself  across  the  path 
of  the  slave  power.  It  was  in  fact  joining  hands 
with  it,  and  becoming  partaker  of  a  great  crime. 
Its  days  were  numbered. 


136  LIFE   OP   CHARLES   SUMNEB. 

.  But  Mr.  Sumner  was  hopeful,  and  made  one 
more  appeal.  In  support  of  the  resolution  of  Mr. 
Palfrey,  "  That  the  Whigs  of  Massachusetts  will 
support  no  men  for  the  office  of  President  and 
Vice-President  but  such  as  are  known  by  their 
acts  or  declared  opinions  to  be  opposed  to  the 
extension  of  slavery,"  Mr,  Sumner  said:  "  Be  as- 
sured, sir,  whatever  the  final  determination  of  this 
convention,  there  are  many  here  to-day  who  will 
never  yield  support  to  any  candidate  who  is  not 
known  to  be  against  the  extension  of  slavery, 
even  though  he  have  freshly  received  the  sacra- 
mental unction  of  a  '  regular  nomination.'  We 
cannot  say,  with  detestable  morality, l  our  party, 
right  or  wrong.'  The  time  has  gone  by  when 
gentlemen  can  expect  to  introduce  among  us  the 
discipline  of  the  camp.  Loyalty  to  principle  is 
higher  than  loyalty  to  party.  The  first  is  a 
heavenly  sentiment,  from  God,  the  other  is  a  de- 
vice of  this  world.  Far  above  any  flickering  light 
or  battle-lantern  of  party  is  the  everlasting  sun 
of  Truth,  in  whose  beams  are  the  duties  of  men." 
Having  borne  his  testimony,  but  in  vain,  he  felt 
himself  free  to  act  in  any  new  direction  which 
duty  should  point  out.  He  that  day  ceased  to 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        137 

be  a  Whig.  And  the  "  old  line  "  Whigs  gave  him 
up  as  a  disagreeable  "  intruder/'  an  incorrigible, 
impracticable  fanatic. 

The  Whig  party  was  proved  to  be  unequal  to 
the  emergencies  of  the  hour.  A  new  step  was 
necessary.  There  must  be  a  party  of  freedom, 
which  should  represent  the  moral  sentiments 
of  the  country,  which  should  gather  within  its 
ranks  all,  of  whatever  previous  political  name, 
who  would  not  bow  the  knee  to  the  Baal  of 
slavery.  There  must  be  a  party  to  represent 
the  fundamental  ideas  of  justice  and  human 
equality  declared  in  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. The  time  for  such  an  organization 
had  now  fully  come.  Accordingly,  about  one 
month  after  the  unsuccessful  attempt  at  Spring- 
field to  commit  the  Whig  party  to  the  cause  of 
freedom,  a  mass  convention  was  held  in  Worces- 
ter (June  28,  1848),  to  effect  a  union  among  men 
of  all  parties  against  the  slave  power  and  the 
extension  of  slavery. 

It  was  an  enthusiastic  gathering,  in  every  re- 
spect most  memorable.  It  was  the  dawn  of  a 
new  day  for  America,  and  for  the  world.  Five 
thousand  people  were  assembled  on  the  Common, 


138  LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

for  no  hall  could  hold  the  multitude,  brought 
there  by  a  common  and  resolute  purpose  to  re- 
sist the  further  encroachments  of  slavery.  Many 
of  the  most  prominent  Whigs  were  there,  ready 
to  cut  loose  from  the  past,  and  take  a  fresh  start 
in  the  interest  of  freedom  and  humanity.  The 
words  that  were  spoken  that  day  were  not  the 
stale,  stereotyped,  guarded  phrases  learned  in 
party  schools,  but  the  free,  fresh,  warm  utter- 
ances of  souls  inspired  by  noble  sentiments.  It 
was  as  if  a  new  gift  of  tongues  had  been  vouch- 
safed. Men  spoke  freely,  boldly,  grandly,  as 
reason  and  conscience  prompted.  Once  more 
politics  and  morals  joined  hands.  There  was  a 
feeling  of  responsibility  to  God.  There  was  a  new 
love  for  humanity.  "  All  the  speakers,"  it  is  said, 
"  united  in  renouncing  old  party  ties."  None  did 
this  better  than  Charles  Francis  Adams,  who  con- 
cluded his  remarks  by  saying,  "  Forgetting  the 
things  that  are  behind,  I  propose  that  we  press 
forward  to  the  high  calling  of  our  new  occupa- 
tion ;  and,  fellow-citizens,  whatever  may  be  the 
fate  of  you  or  me,  all  I  can  now  add  is,  to  repeat 
the  words  of  one  with  whom  I  take  pride  in  re- 
membering that  I  have  been  connected :  '  Sink  or 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        139 

swiin,  live  or  die,  survive  or  perish/  to  go  with 
the  liberties  of  my  country  is  my  fixed  determi- 
nation." 

Mr.  Sumner  said,  "  In  the  coming  contest  I 
wish  it  understood  that  I  belong  to  the  party  of 
freedom  —  to  that  party  which  plants  itself  on 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States." 

» 

In  answer  to  the  objection  that  by  voting  for 
a  separate  candidate,  —  rejecting  Cass  and  Tay- 
lor,—  the  new  party,  as  being  now  small,  would 
throw  away  its  votes,  and  its  opposition  would 
fail,  Mr.  Sumner  said,  "  Fail,  sir !  No  honest, 
earnest  effort  in  a  good  cause  can  fail.  It  may 
not  be  crowned  with  the  applause  of  men; 
it  may  not  seem  to  touch  the  goal  of  immedi- 
ate worldly  success.  But  it  is  not  lost.  It 
helps  to  strengthen  the  weak  with  new  virtue, 
...  to  animate  all  with  devotion  to  duty,  which 
in  the  end  conquers  all.  Fail !  Did  the  mar- 
tyrs fail,  when,  with  precious  blood,  they  sowed 
the  seed  of  the  church?  Did  the  discomfited 
champions  of  freedom  fail  who  have  left  those 
names  in  history  that  can  never  die  ?  .  .  .  As- 
surances here  to-day  show  that  we  need  not 


140         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

postpone  success.  It  seems  already  at  hand. 
The  heart  of  Ohio  beats  responsive  to  the  heart 
of  Massachusetts,  and  all  the  Free  States  are 
animated  with  the  vigorous  breath  of  free- 
dom. .  .  .  From  this  demonstration  to-day, 
and  the  acclaim  wafted  to  us  from  the  Free 
States,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  great  cause 
of  liberty,  to  which  we  now  dedicate  ourselves, 
will  sweep  the  heart-strings  of  the  people.  It 
will  smite  all  the  chords  with  a  might  to  draw 
forth  emotions  such  as  no  political  struggle  ever 
awakened  before.  It  will  move  the  young,  the 
middle-aged,  and  the  old.  It  will  find  a  voice 
in  the  social  circle,  and  mingle  with  the  flame 
of  the  domestic  hearth.  It  will  touch  the  souls 
of  mothers,  wives,  sisters,  and  daughters,  until 
the  sympathies  of  all  swell  in  one  irresistible 
chorus  of  indignation  against  the  deep  damnation 
of  lending  new  sanction  to  the  enslavement  of 
our  brother  man." 

Thus  was  born  the  Free  Soil  party,  from 
whose  loins  afterwards  sprang  the  Republican 
party. 

Before  saying  more  about  this  important  move- 
ment, we  will  follow  Mr.  Sumner  to  another  col- 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER.  141 

lege  anniversary  —  this  time  at  Union  College, 
Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

These  literary  festivals  were  times  of  seed- 
sowing.  And  it  was  a  cheering  indication  of 
better,  wholesomer  days,  that  the  young  men 
of  the  country  were  ready  to  listen  to  'such 
a  teacher  as  Mr.  Sumner.  The  high-toned, 
Christian  morality  which  he  inculcated,  and 
which  he  insisted  should  be  applied  to  poli- 
tics, as  everywhere  else,  was  welcomed  by  young 
and  ingenuous  minds  not  yet  blinded  and  hard- 
ened by  the  maxims  of  worldly  expediency. 

Having  spoken  at  Harvard  and  Amherst,  now 
again  in  July,  1848,  having  just  assisted  in 
forming  a  new  party  of  progress,  he  discourses 
at  Union  on  the  Law  of  Human  Progress.  "  1 
would,  if  I  could,"  he  said,  "  utter  truth  which, 
while  approved  by  the  old,  should  sink  deep 
into  the  souls  of  the  young,  filling  them  with 
strength  for  all  good  works."  Mr.  Sumner  had 
before  him  a  grand  ideal  of  truth  and  right, 
and  also  of  humanity.  He  would  teach  the 
young  not  to  be  content  with  present  attain- 
ments and  the  present  condition  of  the  world. 
There  was  a  divine  law  of  human  progress  run- 


142  LIFE   OP   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

ning  through  and  shaping  all  history,  and  work- 
ing out  a  glorious  future.  "  The  earnest  soul, 
enlightened  by  history,  strengthened  by  philos- 
ophy, nursed  to  childish  slumber  by  the  simple 
prayer,  '  Thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done  on 
earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven,'  confident  in  the 
final,  though  slow,  fulfilment  of  the  daily  fulfil- 
ling promises  of  the  future,  looks  forward  to  the 
continuance  of  this  progress  during  unknown 
and  infinite  ages,  as  a  law  of  our  being.  .  .  . 

"  Christianity  is  the  religion  of  progress.  Here 
is  a  distinctive  feature  which  we  vainly  seek  in 
any  heathen  faith  professed  upon  earth.  Confu- 
cius, in  his  sublime  morals,  taught  us  not  to  do 
unto  others  what  we  would  not  have  them  do  to 
us  ;  but  the  Chinese  philosopher  did  not  declare 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  this  law.  It  was  re- 
served for  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  to  reveal 
the  vital  truth,  that  all  the  highest  commands 
of  religion  and  duty,  drawing  in  their  train 
celestial  peace,  and  marking  the  final  goal  of  all 
progress  among  men,  shall  one  day  be  obeyed. 
1  For  verily  I  say  unto  you/  says  the  Saviour, 
'  till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle 
shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law  till  all  be 
fulfilled.*  " 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        143 

This  progress  of  humanity  embraces  people  of 
every  race,  and  demands  for  all  the  means  of 
every  kind  of  improvement.  Bigotry,  or  con- 
servatism, opposes  this  movement ;  but  in  vain. 
"  Thus  ever  has  Truth  moved  on  —  though  op- 
posed and  reviled,  still  mighty  and  triumphant. 
Rejected  by  the  rich  and  powerful,  by  the  favor- 
ites of  fortune  and  place,  she  finds  shelter  with 
those  who  often  have  no  shelter  for  themselves. 
It  is  such  as  these  that  most  freely  welcome 
moral  truth,  with  its  new  commandments.  Not 
the  dwellers  in  the  glare  of  the  world,  but  the 
humble  and  lowly,  most  clearly  perceive  this 
truth,  —  as  watchers  placed  in  the  depths  of  a 
well  observe  the  stars  which  are  obscured  to 
those  who  live  in  the  effulgence  of  noon.  Free 
from  egotism  and  prejudice,  whether  of  self- 
interest  or  of  class,  without  cares  and  temp- 
tations, whether  of  wealth  or  power,  dwelling  in 
the  mediocrity  or  obscurity  of  common  life,  they 
discern  the  new  signal,  and  surrender  unre- 
servedly to  its  guidance.  The  Saviour  knew 
this.  He  did  not  call  upon  priest,  or  Levite,  or 
Pharisee  to  follow  him,  but  upon  the  humble 
fishermen  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee." 


144        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Mr.  Sumner  warned  his  hearers  against  impa- 
tience and  rashness.  "  Cultivate  a  just  moder- 
ation. Learn  to  reconcile  order  with  change, 
stability  with  progress.  This  is  a  wise  con- 
servatism ;  this  is  a  wise  reform.  Rightly  un- 
derstanding these  terms,  who  would  not  be  a 
conservative  ?  who  would  not  be  a  reformer  ?  — 
a  conservative  of  all  that  is  good,  a  reformer  of 
all  that  is  evil,  —  a  conservative  of  knowledge, 
a  reformer  of  ignorance,  —  a  conservative  of 
truths  and  principles  whose  seat  is  in  the  bosom 
of  God,  a  reformer  of  laws  and  institutions 
which  are  but  the  wicked  or  imperfect  work  of 
man,  —  a  conservative  of  that  divine  order  which 
is  found  only  in  movement,  a  reformer  of  those 
earthly  wrongs  and  abuses  which  spring  from  a 
violation  of  the  great  law  of  human  progress  ?  " 

Thus  did  Mr.  Sumner  seek  to  build  up  a  new 
party  on  the  highest  grounds,  and  to  enlist  in  its 
support  the  young  men  of  the  land. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  145 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Object  of  the  Free  Soil  Party.  —  Free  Soil  Con- 
vention at  Buffalo.  —  Martin  Van  Buren  and 
Charles  Francis  Adams.  —  Speech  by  Mr.  Sum- 
ner.  —  Address  on  Peace.  —  Colored  Children 
in  Public  Schools.  —  Mr.  Sumner's  Argument  be- 
fore the  Supreme  Court.  —  Mr.  Clay's  Compro- 
mise Measures.  —  Fugitive  Slave  Bill.  —  Its 
Effect  in  the  Free  States.  —  Meeting  of  Protest 
in  Faneuil  Hall.  —  Terror  of  the  Colored  Peo- 
ple. —  William  and,  Ellen  Crafts.  —  Mr.  Sum- 
ner's  Opinion  of  Slave- Hunters. 

THE  Free  Soil  party  now  entered  fully  upon  its 
work.  Its  purpose  was  to  prevent  the  further 
extension  of  slavery,  and  to  secure  its  abolition 
wherever  it  existed  within  the  national  domain, 
as  distinguished  from  State  jurisdiction.  It  did 
not  propose  to  touch  slavery  in  the  States. 

A  large  number  of  persons,  who  were  distinc- 
tively known  as  Abolitionists,  and  who,  to  a  great 
extent,  took  no  part  in  political  action  against 
10 


146  LIFE  OF   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

slavery,  were  seeking  the  overthrow  of  that  sys- 
tem throughout  the  whole  country.  But  the  po- 
litical movement  was  more  limited  in  its  aim.  It 
was,  however,  a  necessary  step  in  the  great  cause 
of  emancipation. 

The  Free  Soil  party  aimed  to  do  all  that  could 
then  be  done  aside  from  mere  moral  means.  It 
would  forbid  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
and  the  Territories,  and  the  formation  of  new 
Slave  States ;  would  liberate  the  general  govern- 
ment from  any  responsibility  to  maintain  slavery 
in  the  States  where  it  already  existed ;  and  thus 
shut  up  slavery  within  its  own  special  boundaries, 
to  take  care  of  itself  as  best  it  could.  It  would 
have  the  Free  States  free  from  any  complicity  with 
slavery.  They  should  be  "  free  indeed." 

To  perfect  the  organization  of  such  a  party,  a 
convention  was  held  at  Buffalo,  August  9,  1848, 
at  which  Martin  Yan  Buren,  who  had  already 
once  been  president,  was  nominated  as  President 
of  the  United  States,  and  Charles  Francis  Adams 
as  Vice-President. 

At  a  public  meeting  held  in  Faneuil  Hall, 
August  22,  this  nomination,  with  the  platform, 
was  ratified.  The  list  of  speakers  and  of  other 


LIFE  OF   CHARLES  SUMNER.  147 

friends  to  the  new  cause  shows  that  it  had  drawn 
to  itself  many  of  the  choicest  spirits  of  the  North. 
In  fact,  the  best  portion  of  the  two  great  parties 
which  had  hitherto  carried  sway,  came  over  to 
the  new  organization,  which  alone  represented 
true  American  principles. 

On  this  occasion  Mr.  Sumner  was  chosen  pre- 
siding officer,  and  made  an  eloquent  speech.  He 
declared  that  not  banks  and  tariffs,  and  such  mere 
material  interests,  were  now  to  give  their  tone  to 
the  policy  of  the  country.  "  Henceforward,  PRO- 
TECTION TO  MAN  will  be  the  true  American  sys- 
tem. .  .  .  The  old  and  ill- compacted  party  organ- 
izations are  broken,  and  from  their  ruins  is  now 
formed  a  new  party,  the  Party  of  Freedom.  There 
were  good  men  who  longed  for  this,  and  died 
without  the  sight.  John  Quincy  Adams  longed 
for  it.  William  Ellery  Channing  longed  for  it. 
Their  spirits  hover  over  us,  and  urge  us  to  perse- 
vere. Let  us  be  true  to  the  moral  grandeur  of 
our  cause.  Have  faith  in  Truth,  and  in  God,  who 
giveth  the  victory." 

During  the  campaign  which  followed,  Mr. 
Sumner  spoke  at  many  places  in  the  State.  A 
speech  delivered  in  Faneuil  Hall,  October  31, 


148        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

1848,  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  "  surpassing 
ability  and  eloquence,"  and  to  have  been  received 
with  "  tumultuous  shouts  "  of  applause.  But  it 
was  not  reported. 

In  Mr.  Sumner's  view,  war  and  slavery  were 
kindred  evils.  Their  fundamental  idea  was  force, 
violence.  Being  invited  by  the  American  Peace 
Society  to  speak  at  their  anniversary,  in  Boston, 
May  28,  1849,  he  did  not  regard  it  as  an  inter- 
ruption to  his  work  in  behalf  of  freedom.  In  an 
Address  on  the  War  System  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Nations,  he  once  more,  as  in  1845, 
urged  "  the  abolition  of  the  institution  of  war,  and 
of  the  whole  war  system,  as  an  established  arbiter 
of  justice  in  the  commonwealth  of  nations.  " 

Resuming  his  pen  in  behalf  of  freedom,  he  pre- 
pared an  Address  to  the  People  of  Massachusetts 

—  which  was  afterwards  adopted   by  the  Free 
Soil  convention  at  Worcester,  September  12, 1849 

—  in  vindication  of'  the  new  organization.    It  con- 
tains the  germ  of  his  great  speech  in  Congress  in 
1852,  showing  that  the  Freedom  party  is  a  na- 
tional party,  as  opposed  to  sectional. 

At  this  time,  while  Massachusetts  was  thus 
awaking  to  new  opposition  to  slavery,  she  was 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        149 

herself  holding  her  colored  citizens  in  a  position 
of  inferiority.  Colored  children  were  not  allowed 
to  attend  the  public  schools  in  company  with  the 
white.  They  had  separate  schools.  The  subject 
came  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  De- 
cember 4,  1849,  under  an  action  brought  by  a  col- 
ored child,  only  five  years  old,  who,  by  her  next 
friend,  as  the  law  term  is,  sued  the  City  of  Boston 
for  damages  on  account  of  a  refusal  to  receive  her 
into  one  of  the  common  schools.  Mr.  Sumner 
undertook  her  case,  and  argued  in  a  most  thorough 
manner  the  unconstitutionality  of  the  discrimina- 
tion on  account  of  race  or  color.  He  claimed  for 
every  person  "  equality  before  the  law  "  —  a  term 
now  for  the  first  time  introduced  from  the  French. 
He  denounced  the  separation  of  children  in  the 
schools,  as  in  the  nature  of  caste,  that  odious  sys- 
tem, which  no  Christian  could  sanction.  He  de- 
clared it  to  be  injurious,  also,  to  the  whole  system 
of  common  schools.  "  The  law,"  he  said,  "  con- 
templates not  only  that  all  shall  be  taught,  but 
that  all  shall  be  taught  together.  .  .  .  All  are  to 
approach  the  same  common  fountain  together; 
nor  can  there  be  any  exclusive  source  for  indi- 
vidual or  class.  The  school  is  the  little  world 


150         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

where  the  child  is  trained  for  the  larger  world  of 
life.  .  .  .  And  since,  according  to  our  institutions, 
all  classes,  without  distinction  of  color;  meet  in 
the  performance  of  civil  duties,  so  should  they 
all,  without  distinction  of  color,  meet  in  the 
school,  beginning  there  those  relations  of  equality 
which  the  constitution  and  laws  promise  to  all.  .  .  . 

"  Nothing  is  more  clear  than  that  the  welfare  of 
classes,  as  well  as  of  individuals,  is  promoted  by 
mutual  acquaintance.  Prejudice  is  the  child  of 
Ignorance.  It  is  sure  to  prevail  where  people  do 
not  know  each  other.  Society  and  intercourse 
are  means  established  by  Providence  for  human 
improvement.  They  remove  antipathies,  promote 
mutual  adaptation  and  conciliation,  and  establish 
relations  of  reciprocal  regard.  Whoso  sets  up 
barriers  to  these,  thwarts  the  ways  of  Providence, 
crosses  the  tendencies  of  human  nature,  and  di- 
rectly interferes  with  the  laws  of  God." 

Addressing  himself  directly  to  the  judges,  he 
said,  "  The  Christian  spirit  I  again  invoke.  Where 
this  prevails,  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile, 
Greek  nor  barbarian,  bond  nor  free,  but  all  are 
alike.  From  this  we  derive  new  and  solemn 
assurance  of  the  equality  of  men,  as  an  ordinance 
of  God." 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        151 

Here  we  see  one  feature  of  the  Civil  Rights 
Bill,  which  Mr.  Sumner  so  earnestly  pressed 
Congress  to  pass,  as  an  act  of  justice  to  the 
blacks,  and  of  benefit  to  the  whole  country. 

The  court,  in  the  present  case,  did  not  see  fit 
to.  annul  the  discrimination  in  the  common 
schools.*  But  in  1855  the  legislature  threw  the 
door  open  to  all  children  alike.  So  we  trust  the* 
national  legislature  will  do  for  the  whole  country. 

The  year  1850  is  memorable  for  the  series 
of  compromises,  originating  with  Henry  Clay, 
of  Kentucky,  which  were  designed  to  allay  and 
forever  settle  the  controversy  about  slavery. 
Alas!  the  "conflict77  was  "irrepressible.77 

It  was  now  a  period  of  extreme  irritation  be- 
tween the  Free  and  the  Slave  States.  The  an- 
nexation of  Texas,  as  a  slave  state,  in  1845  j  the 
war  with  Mexico,  begun  in  1846  ;  the  acquisition, 
as  the  result  of  it,  of  the  vast  territory  of  New 
Mexico  and  California,  which  the  South  were 
laboring  to  throw  open  to  slavery,  —  all  this  had 
seriously  alarmed  the  North.  On  the  other  hand, 

*  Chief  Justice  Shaw  decided  that  the  claim  of  equality  before 
the  law  meant  "  only  that  the  rights  of  all,  as  they  are  settled  and 
regulated  by  law,  are  equally  entitled  to  the  paternal  consideration 
and  protection  of  the  law  for  their  maintenance  and  security." 


152  LIFE   OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

the  growing  opposition  to  slavery  at  the  North, 
the  determined  spirit  of  the  abolitionists,  the  rise 
of  the  Liberty  party  in  1840,  of  the  Free  Soil 
party  in  1848,  and  the  fear  entertained  at  the 
South  that,  after  all,  New  Mexico  and  California 
were  likely  to  be  non-slaveholding,  had  aroused 
the  people  of  the  Slave  States  to  a  fearful  pitch 
of  exasperation.  Then  came  forward  the  great 
compromiser,  with  his  panacea  of  peace  —  his 
last  public  act.  It  was  discussed  amid  great  ex- 
citement, in  and  out  of  Congress,  from  January 
to  September,  in  which  month  California  was  ad- 
mitted as  a  Free  State,  New  Mexico  and  Utah 
were  organized  as  Territories  with  no  provision 
for  or  against  slavery,  the  slave-trade  was  pro- 
hibited in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  a  strin- 
gent Fugitive  Slave  Law  was  passed. 

"Now,"  said  President  Fillmore,  "we  have  been 
rescued  from  the  wide  and  boundless  agitation 
that  surrounded  us,  and  have  a  firm,  distinct,  and 
legal  ground  to  rest  upon." 

But  he  was  crying  peace  when  there  was  no 
peace.  Specially  obnoxious  to  the  North  was 
the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill.  It  was  a  shameful  stat- 
ute, not  only  as  designed  to  rivet  more  firmly 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        153 

the  shackles  of  the  slave,  and  as  carrying  terror 
into  every  colored  home  in  the  Free  States,  but 
as  turning  the  free  North  into  a  legalized  hunt- 
ing-ground for  fugitives,  and  as  visiting  with 
"bitter  penalties  of  fine  and  imprisonment  the 
faithful  men  and  women  who  rendered  to  the 
fugitive  that  countenance,  succor,  and  shelter 
which  Christianity  expressly  requires ;  "  thus, 
"  from  beginning  to  end,"  setting  "  at  nought  the 
best  principles  of  the  constitution,  and  the  very 
laws  of  God." 

The  most  odious  features  of  this  bill  were  the 
following :  it  ordained  a  "  summary  process  "  — 
a  legal  proceeding  intended  to  protect  human 
freedom,  but  which  in  this  case  was  wickedly 
perverted  to  the  very  opposite. 

It  violated  the  fundamental  right  of  trial  by 
jury,  which  the  constitution  of  the  United  States 
grants  in  suits  at  common  law,  where  the  value 
in  controversy  shall  exceed  twenty  dollars  —  the 
liberty  of  a  man  being  made  of  less  account  than 
the  recovery  of  a  horse. 

It  provided  that  "  in  no  trial  or  hearing  under 
this  act  shall  the  testimony  of  such  alleged  fugitive 
be  admitted  in  evidence."  He  might  be  a  white 


154        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

man  or  a  free  negro,  but  he  could  bring  forward 
no  proof  of  the  fact.  The  claimant  with  a  bribe 
in  his  hand  might  enter  into  collusion  with  the 
commissioner,  and  between  them  the  innocent 
victim  might  be  reduced  to  slavery. 

It  placed  the  liberty  of  the  alleged  fugitive  at 
tfye  mercy  of  one  man,  from  whose  verdict  there 
was  no  appeal. 

The  government  offered  a  premium  for  kidnap- 
ping, for  it  .allowed  the  commissioner  twice  as 
much  in  case  he  surrendered  the  alleged  fugitive 
to  the  claimant,  as  he  should  receive  if  he  re- 
leased him  —  ten  dollars  for  declaring  a  man  a 
slave,  five  dollars  for  declaring  him  a  freeman ! 

It  authorized  the  ministers  of  the  law  —  the 
mockery  of  law  —  to  "  summon  and  call  to  their 
aid  the  bystanders,  or  posse  comitatus  of  the 
proper  county,"  and  it  "  COMMANDED  "  all  good 
citizens  to  aid  and  assist  in  the  prompt  and 
efficient  execution  of  the  law,* under  the  pen- 
alty of  fine  and  imprisonment. 

In  the  last  provision,  it  seemed  as  though  the 
slave  power  was  resolved  to  press  to  Northern 
lips  the  bitterest  cup  of  abomination  which  it 
could  possibly  concoct. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        155 

No  wonder  it  awakened  a  feeling  of  indigna- 
tion and  horror,  not  only  among  the  blacks,  but 
among  multitudes  of  the  liberty-loving  people  of 
the  Free  States.  Many/  even,  who  were  little 
concerned  for  the  miseries  of  the  colored  people, 
revolted  at  the.  thought  of  being  themselves 
"  commanded  "  by  the  slave  power  to  act  the  part 
of  slave-catcher  —  in  fact,  to  become  slaves. 

Meetings  for  protesting  against  the  outrageous 
act  were  held  in  different  places.  One  of  the 
most  note-worth^  was  held  tfe  Faneuil  Hall,  just 
one  month  after  the  passage  of  the  bill,  for  the 
special  purpose  of  taking  measures  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  colored  people  of  the  city,  and  of 
fugitives  from  slavery.  It  was  an  enthusiastic 
gathering.  In  the  opening  prayer,  Dr.  Lowell 
said,  "  Thou  who  art  no  -respecter  of  persons, 
who  art  love,  and  dwellest  in  love,  look  in  mercy 
upon  those  of  our  brethren  on  whose  behalf  we 
are  now  assembled  —  fugitives  from  slavery." 

It  was  necessary  that  something  should  be 
done,  for,  immediately  upon  the  passing  of  the 
bill,  slave-hunting  began  all  over  the  North,  and 
was  prosecuted  with  fearful  activity.  Spies  were 
everywhere.  Slave-hunters  became  familiar 


156  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

characters.  In  New  York,  one  Sunday  morning, 
a  slaveholding  clergyman,  just  arrived,  was  seen 
riding  on  the  top  of  a  stage,  perched  aloft  for  the 
purpose,  perhaps,  of  discovering  his  victim.  The 
first  case  under  the  act,  September  28,  was  that 
of  James  Hamlet,  who  was  seized  in  New  York, 
and  hurried  off  to  a  woman  in  Baltimore  who 
laid  claim  to  him.  In  many  cases,  the  execution 
of  the  law  was  attended  with  circumstances  of 
peculiar  aggravation.  '  Families  which  had  long 
enjoyed  peace  at  the  free  North  were  now  in- 
vaded by  the  slave  power,  and  either  broken  up, 
or  forced  to  the  most  heart-rending  separations. 
Large  numbers  fled  to  British  soil.  "  Within  the 
first  year  of  its  [the  bill's]  existence,  more  per- 
sons, probably,  were  seized  as  fugitive  slaves 
than  during  the  preceding  sixty  years." 

The  first  fugitives  whom  the  act  sought  to 
arrest  in  Boston  were  William  and  Ellen  Crafts, 
in  1850.  In  their  case  no  attempt  was  made  to 
conceal  them.  William  was  ascertained  to  be  a 
man  of  pluck,  who  would  make  a  stout  resistance, 
and  whom  it  might  be  dangerous  to  approach. 
There  was  at  this  time  a  Committee  of  Vigilance 
and  Safety,  composed  of  prominent  abolitionists, 


LIFE  -OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  157 

to  look  after  the  interests  of  fugitives  At  one 
of  their  meetings,  which  were  usually  held  in 
Stacy  Hall,  on  Washington  Street,  Mr.  Lewis 
Hayden,  a  well-known  resident  of  Boston,  him- 
self a  fugitive,  came  in  under  great  excitement. 
The  case  now  pending  was  becoming  more  criti- 
cal. The  question  was,  whether  Crafts  should 
be  secretly  sent  to  Canada,  or  whether  he  should 
be  advised  to  remain  and  defy  the  "  law." 

Mr.  Hayden,  at  whose  house  William  and  Ellen 
Crafts  were  stopping,  and  who  knew  the  spirit 
of  the  former,  immediately  on  entering  the  hall, 
poured  out  the  fullness  of  his  heart,  taking  the 
ground  that  Crafts  should  not  be  sent  away.  In 
his  earnestness,  he  had  scarcely  noticed  who 
were  present ;  but  suddenly  pausing,  and  seeing 
what  men  he  was  addressing,  —  John  C.  Park, 
Theodore  Parker,  Francis  Jackson,  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson,  Charles  Sumner,  Timothy  Gilbert, 
George  Thompson,  and  other  members  of  the 
committee,  or  friends  of  the  cause,  —  he  instant- 
ly dropped  into  his  seat.  Mr.  Sumner  at  once 
arose,  and  took  up  the  case  where  Mr.  Hayden 
had  left  it,  urging,  that  as  Crafts  had  given  proof 
of  his  manhood,  it  would  be  wrong  to  hasten  his 


158        LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNEB. 

escape ;  that  it  was  his  duty  to  remain,  and  make 
a  stand  against  the  infamous  law.  The  kidnap- 
pers must  be  driven  from  Boston. 

The  character  of  his  remarks  at  this  time  may 
also  be  gathered  from  what  he  said  in  a  public 
meeting  in  November :  "  From  a  humane,  just, 
and  religious  people  will  spring  a  public  opinion 
to  keep  perpetual  guard  over  the  liberties  of  all 
within  our  borders.  Nay,  more  like  the  flaming 
sword  of  the  cherubim  at  the  gates  of  Paradise, 
turning  on  every  side,  it  shall  prevent  any  SLAVE- 
HUNTER  from  ever  setting  foot  in  this  Common- 
wealth. Elsewhere  he  may  pursue  his  human 
prey,  employ  his  congenial  bloodhounds,  and 
exult  in  his  successful  game  ;  but  into  Massachu- 
setts he  must  not  come.  Again,  let  me  be  under- 
stood. I  counsel  no  violence.  I  would  not  touch 
his  person.  Not  with  whips  and  thongs  would  I 
scourge  him  from  the  land.  The  contempt,  the 
indignation,  the  abhorrence  of  the  community 
shall  be  our  weapons  of  offence.  Wherever  he 
moves,  he  shall  find  no  house  to  receive  him,  no 
table  spread  to  nourish  him,  no  welcome  to  cheer 
him.  The  dismal  lot  of  the  Roman  exile  shall  be 
his.  He  shall  be  a  wanderer,  without  roof,  fire, 


LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNER.        159 

or  water.     Men  shall  point  at  him  on  the  streets 
and  in  the  highways. 

*  Sleep  shall  neither  night  nor  day 
Hang  upon  his  pent-house  lid ; 
He  shall  live  a  man  forbid ; 
Weary,  scvennights  nine  times  nine, 
Shall  he  dwindle,  peak,  and  pine.' 

"Villages,  towns,  and  cities  shall  refuse  to 
receive  the  monster  ;  they  shall  vomit  him  forth, 
never  again  to  disturb  the  repose  of  our  com- 
munity." 

Thus  would  Mr.  Sumner  arrest  the  action  of 
the  "  law  "  at  the  outset. 

William  and  Ellen  Crafts  were  not  apprehend- 
ed. Their  would-be  kidnappers  retired  without 
their  victims.  At  length  the  fugitives  were  sent 
to  England,  where  Crafts  became  a  sort  of  com- 
mercial agent  to  the  kingdom  of  Dahomey.  He 
is  now  living  in  Georgia. 

At  the  public  Free  Soil  meeting,  to  which  refer- 
ence was  just  made,  November  6,  1850,  before 
the  annual  election,  Mr.  Sumner  denounced  the 
Fugitive  Bill  as*"  cruel,  unchristian,  and  devilish." 
It  was  unconstitutional  also,  and  ought  not  to  be 
obeyed. 

After  stating,  in  his  speech,  that  he  himself 


160  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

held  the  office  of  § commissioner  by  appointment, 
the  year  before,  of  Judge  Story,  —  an  office  whose 
duties  he  had  seldom  exercised,  —  yet,  said  he, 
"  I  cannot  forget  that  I  am  a  man,  although  I  am 
a  commissioner.  .  .  .  For  myself,  let  me  say, 
that  I  can  imagine  no  office,  no  salary,  no  con- 
sideration, which  I  would  not  gladly  forego,  rather 
than  become  in  any  way  the  agent  in  enslaving 
my  brother  man.  "Where  for  me  were  comfort 
and  solace  after  such  a  work  ?  In  dreams  and  in 
waking  hours,  in  solitude  and  in  the  street,  in 
the  meditation  of  the  closet  and  in  the  affairs  of 
men,  wherever  I  turned,  there  my  victim  would 
stare  me  in  the  face.  From  distant  rice-fields 
and  sugar-plantations  of  the  South,  his  cries 
beneath  the  vindictive  lash,  his  moans  at  the 
thought  of  liberty,  once  his,  now,  alas  !  ravished 
away,  would  pursue  me,  repeating  the  tale  of  his 
tearful  doom,  and  sounding,  forever  sounding,  in 
my  ears,  '  Thou  art  the  man  ! ' : 

Speaking  in  more  general  terms,  he  said,  "  We 
have  seen  what  Congress  has  done.  And  yet, 
in  the  face  of  these  enormities  of  legislation, 
...  we  are  told  that  the  slavery  question  is  set- 
tled. Yes,  settled,  —  settled,  —  that  is  the  word. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        161 

Nothing,  sir,  can  be  settled  which  is  not  right. 
Nothing  can  be  settled  which  is  against  freedom. 
Nothing  can  be  settled  which  is  contrary  to 
the  Divine  law.  God,  nature,  and  all  the  holy 
sentiments  of  the  heart  repudiate  any  such  seem- 
ing settlement." 

As  an  encouragement  to  fidelity  in  the  cause 
of  freedom,  he  said,  "  To  every  laborer  in  a  cause 
like  this,  there  are  satisfactions  unknown  to  the 
common  political  partisan.  .  .  .  Whatever  may 
be  existing  impediments,  his  is  the  cheering  con- 
viction that  every  word  spoken,  every  act  per- 
formed, every  vote  cast  for  this  cause,  helps  to 
swell  those  quickening  influences  by  which  truth, 
justice,  and  humanity  will  be  established  upon 
earth.  He  may  not  live  to  witness  the  blessed 
consummation,  but  it  is  none  the  less  certain. 
Others  may  dwell  on  the  past  as  secure.  Under 
the  laws  of  a  beneficent  God,  the  future  also  is 
secure,  —  on  the  single  condition  that  we  labor 
for  its  great  objects." 

With  reference  to  the  election  of  suitable  men 

to   represent  the  cause   in   the   State   and    the 

Nation,  he  said:  "  Admonished  by  the  experience 

of  timidity,   irresolution,  and  weakness   in  our 

11 


162        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

public  men,  amidst  the  temptations  of  ambition 
and  power,  the  friends  of  freedom  cannot  lightly 
bestow  their  confidence.  They  can  put  trust  only 
in  men  of  tried  character  and  inflexible  will. 
Three  things  at  least  they  must  require  ;  the  first 
is  backbone;  the  second  is  backbone;  and  the 
third  is  backbone.  ...  Wanting  this,  they  all 
want  that  courage,  constancy,  firmness,  which 
are  essential  to  the  support  of  PRINCIPLE.  Let  no 
such  men  be  trusted."  And  then,  referring  to 
his  own  purpose,  he  added,  "  To  vindicate  free- 
dom and  oppose  slavery,  so  far  as  I  may  consti- 
tutionally,—  with  earnestness,  and  yet,  I  trust, 
without  personal  unkindness  on  my  part,  —  is  the 
object  near  my  heart.  .  .  .  Rejoicing  in  associ- 
ates from  any  quarter,  I  shall  be  found  ever  with 
that  party  which  most  truly  represents  the 
principles  of  freedom.  .  .  .  Whenever  I  forget 
them,  whenever  I  become  indifferent  to  them, 
whenever  I  cease  to  be  constant  in  maintain- 
ing them,  through  good  report  and  evil  report, 
in  any  future  combinations  of  party,  then  may 
my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth,  may 
my  right  hand  forget  its  cunning  !  " 

Now  that  he  has  gone  from  us,  his  work  com- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        163 

pleted,  we  can  say  of  him,  that  he  never  forgot 
these  principles,  but  to  the  very  last,  even  with 
his  latest  breath,  redeemed  every  pledge  here 
made. 

This  speech  was  received  with  great  enthusi- 
asm by  one  class,  but  denounced  by  another  as 
"  treasonable."  It  awakened  deep  feeling  through- 
out the  country,  so  bold  and  determined  was  its 
stand  against  a  congressional  statute.  It  doubt- 
less had  an  important  influence  in  the  election 
which  was  about  to  take  place  for  United  States 
senator,  to  fill  the  place  made  vacant  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  Daniel  Webster  as  secretary  of 
state. 


164        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

The  u  Coalition."  —  Nomination  of  Mr.  Sumner 
for  the  United  States  Senate.  —  Scenes  in  the 
Legislature.  —  Mr.  Bartletfs  Proposition.  — 
Lack  of  Envelopes.  —  Talking  against  Time.  — 
Election  of  Mr.  Sumner.  —  Letter  of  John  G. 
Whittier  to  Mr.  Sumner.  —  The  Apple-  Woman. 
—  Feeling  among  the  WJiigs.  —  Treatment  of 
Mr.  Sumner.  —  Address  to  the  Legislature. — 
Horace  Mann. 

WE  have  now  reached  a  very  important  period. 
Hitherto  Mr.  Sumner  has  acted  only  as  a  private 
citizen ;  he  is  now  to  take  a  public  office,  and  to 
become  a  public  man,  in  a  degree  accorded  to  but 
few  of  this  or  any  generation.  The  whole  course 
of  his  life  is  henceforth  to  run  in  a  channel  far 
different  from  that  marked  out  by  himself.  Yet, 
in  a  deeper  sense,  it  was  not  different.  He  was  still 
to  be  Charles  Sumner,  the  same  foe  to  war  and 
slavery,  the  same  friend  of  peace  and  freedom, 
the  same  lover  of  truth  and  justice,  only  in  a 
wider  sphere. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        165 

At  this  time  there  were  three  political  parties 
in  Massachusetts,  the  Whig,  the  Democratic,  and 
the  Free  Soil.  The  two  latter  were  neither  of 
them  strong  enough  to  carry  an  election  over  the 
Whigs,  but  by  a  combination  they  hoped  to  secure 
their  object. 

The  Democrats  wished  to  conquer  the  Whigs, 
the  Free  Soilers  wished  to  promote  the  cause  of 
freedom.  Among  the  former,  also,  there  were  a 
considerable  number  who  were  willing  that  the 
slave  power  should  be  rebuked.  Many  such 
afterwards  became  valiant  Republicans. 

It  was  accordingly  agreed  that  most  "  of  the 
state  officers  chosen  by  the  legislature  should  be 
Democrats,  and  the  United  States  senator  a  Free 
Soiler."  This  was  the  famous  "  coalition." 

Henry  Wilson,  Free  Soiler,  was  selected  as  can- 
didate for  President  of  the  Senate  ;  N.  P.  Banks, 
Democrat,  for  Speaker  of  the  House ;  George  S. 
Boutwell,  Democrat,  for  Governor ;  and  Charles 
Sumner,  Free  Soiler,  for  United  States  senator, 
all  of  whom  were  elected.* 

*  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  this  legislature  of  1851  contained 
an  unusual  number  of  members  who  have  since  risen  to  positions 
of  eminence  in  the  commonwealth  or  in  the  national  government. 
Three  have  been  governors  of  the  Statet  N.  P.  Banks,  H.  J.  Gardi- 


166        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

To  Mr.  Sumner  this  was  a  wholly  ur  expected 
and  undesired  nomination.  But  he  yielded  to  the 
importunities  of  the  friends  of  freedom,  who  in- 
sisted that,  for  the  sake  of  the  cause,  he  ought  to 
forget. his  personal  preferences. 

The  choice  of  United  States  senator  proved  to 
be  a  three  months'  race  between  Mr.  Sumner  and 
Mr.  Winthrop. 

The  Senate  proceeded  to  jballot  on  January  22, 
1851,  with  the  following  result :  Charles  Sum- 
ner, 23  ;  ft.  C.  Winthrop,  14 ;  Beach,  1.  Mr.  Sum- 
ner received,  therefore,  a  majority  of  the  votes 
at  the  first  ballot,  and  the  Senate  did  not  vote 
again.  In  the  House  the  first  ballot  stood  thus : 
Sumner,  186  ;  Winthrop,  167 ;  scattering,  28  ; 
blanks,  3.  Whole  number,  381 ;  necessary  to  a 
choice,  191.  There  was  no  choice. 

The  voting  in  the  House  was  not  continuous 
from  day  to  day,  as  is  the  present  rule,  but  was 
carried  on  amid  several  postponements,  some- 
times for  a  fortnight  at  a  time. 

ner,  and  William  Claflin ;  several  have  represented  the  State  in  Con- 
gress ;  three  have  been  speakers  of  the  House  in  the  State  legislature ; 
one  is  the  present  state  treasurer ;  one  has  been  mayor  of  Boston  ; 
one  has  sat  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  at  Washington ;  and 
one  has  held  many  important  offices  under  the  general  government, 
being  at  present  our  minister  to  Spain.  Others  have  held  influential 
positions. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        167 

It  was  a  period  of  intense  excitement  within 
and  outside  the  General  Court,  enlivened  now  and 
then  by  amusing  incidents.  One  member,  living 
in  the  vicinity,  but  generally  confined  at  home 
from  sickness,  was  brought  into  the  House  when- 
ever voting  was  to  be  done,  and  then  carried 
back.  Every  man  was  expected  to  "  do  his  duty," 
even  if  he  died  in  the  attempt. 

And  so  it  went  on  till  March  12,  when  an  ex- 
citing debate  took  place,  in  the  course  of  which 
Caleb  Gushing,  of  ancient  and  modern  renown, 
being  then  a  member  from  Newbury,  said  that 
"  he  would  cheerfully  confront  any  personal  ex- 
tremity, he  would  be  content  to  relinquish  for- 
ever all  aspirations  as  a  statesman  or  a  man,  he 
would  think  no  personal  sacrifice  too  great,  if 
he  might  thereby  avoid  such  a  death-stab  to  the 
honor  and  welfare  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  such 
a  stain  and  disaster  to  the  Union  as  the  election 
to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  of  a  one-idea 
abolition  agitator  to  represent  the  people  of  Mas- 
sachusetts." * 


*  In  generous  contrast  with  the  above,  we  gladly  insert  the  fol- 
lowing later  testimony  from  Mr.  Gushing :  "  I  think  the  speeches, 
discourses,  and  miscellaneous  papers  of  Mr.  Sumner  eminently  de- 
serve to  be  collected  and  published  in  a  complete  form.  Whatever 


168        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

From  this  we  infer  that  Mr.  Gushing  was  not  a 
party  to  the  coalition. 

The  session  had  now  reached  the  24th  of  April 
without  an  election.  Trial  had  been  made  of 
voting  viva  voce  and  by  open  ballot,  without  secur- 
ing for  any  one  the  requisite  majority.  Some- 
body, it  appeared,  was  casting  two  votes.  Each 
side  suspected  the  other  of  foul  play.  At  length 
Sidney  Bartlett,  an  eminent  lawyer,  of  the  Whig 
party,  thinking  that  by  another  method  their 
candidate  might  gain  ah  advantage,  moved,  that 
"  in  the  further  balloting,  the  ballot  be  placed  in 
an  envelope  ;  and  that,  where  two  votes  for  one 
person  are  found  in  the  same  envelope,  one  shall 
be  rejected ;  and  that,  where  two  votes  for  differ- 
ent persons  are  cast,  both  shall  be  rejected ;  the 
envelopes  to  be  of  a  uniform  character,  furnished 
by  the  sergeant-at-arms." 

For  once  the  shrewd  lawyer  committed  a  blun- 

difference  of  opinion  there  may  be  in  the  country  concerning  the 
various  political  doctrines  which,  in  his  long  senatorial  career,  he 
has  so  earnestly  and  so  steadily  maintained,  certain  it  is  that  his 
productions  constitute  an  essential  part  of  our  public  history,  as 
well  in  foreign  as  in  domestic  relations ;  and  they  are  characterized 
by  such  qualities  of  superior  intellectual  power,  cultivated  elo- 
quence, and  great  and  general  accomplishment  and  statesmanship, 
as  entitle  them  to  a  high  and  permanent  place  in  the  political  liter- 
ature of  the  United  States." 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        169 

der.  The  Free  Soil  members  were  delighted  at 
the  motion,  which  was  carried  at  once. 

But  there  were  not  envelopes  enough  in  the 
State  House  for  the  unusual  demand,  and  a 
messenger  was  hurried  off  to  a  stationer's  for  a 
supply. 

Meanwhile  the  Free  Soilers  were  in  an  agony 
lest,  because  of  the  readiness  with  which  the 
proposition  had  been  received,  a  reconsideration 
might  be  called  for,  and  one  of  their  number  set 
himself  to  the  task  of  talking  against  time.  It 
was  an  immense  relief  when  the  messenger  ap- 
peared with  his  box  of  envelopes,  which  were  to 
work  such  wonders  for  the  Whig  party. 

Immediately  the  twenty- sixth  vote  was  taken, 
when,  to  the  dismay  of  the  author  of  the  infallible 
panacea  and  his  compatriots,  Charles  Sumner  was 
declared  to  have  received  one  hundred  and  nine- 
ty-three votes,  and  to  be  United  States  senator 
for  six  years;  it  having  required  ninety-three 
days  to  effect  a  concurrence  of  the  House  with 
the  Senate's  vote  of  January  22d. 

At  that  moment  the  breath  of  life  went  out  of 
the  Whig  party  in  Massachusetts.  A  little  longer 
it  had  a  "  name  to  live,"  but  "  was  dead." 


170        LIFE  OF  CHAKLES  SUMNEB. 

The  Democratic  party  had  gained  a  temporary 
triumph,  but  it  was  by  putting  forward  its  most 
powerful  future  antagonist. 

The  real  victor  was  the  little  party  of  freedom, 
which  had  obtained  a  leader,  who,  through  "  evil 
report  and  good  report,"  and  through  "  deaths 
oft,"  was  to  uphold  their  cause  in  the  national 
Sena,te  with  a  consistency  and  a  firmness  hitherto 
unparalleled  on  the  floor  of  Congress. 

His  election  was  a  national  triumph.  Congrat- 
ulations came  in  from  all  the  Free  States,  and 
from  the  friends  of  humanity  abroad. 

John  G  .Whittier,  an  "  original "  abolitionist,  was 
among  the  first  to  express  his  gladness  at  the  event. 
"  I  rejoice,"  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Sumner,  "  that,  un- 
pledged, free,  and  without  a  single  concession  or 
compromise,  thou  art  enabled  to  take  thy  seat  in 
the  Senate.  I  never  knew  such  a  general  feeling 
of  real  heart-pleasure  and  satisfaction  as  is  mani- 
fested by  all  except  inveterate  Hunkers,  in  view 
of  thy  election.  The  whole  country  is  electrified 
by  it.  Sick  abed,  I  heard  the  guns,  Quaker  as  I 
am,  with  real  satisfaction." 

"  Thank  God,  we  have  at  last  got  a  Governor 
that  can  walk."  said  an  old  apple- woman,  in  the 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        171 

year  1797,  as  Increase  Sumner,  a  cousin  of  Charles 
Sumner's  father,  a  man  of  athletic  frame  and 
majestic  appearance,  passed  from  the  Old  South 
Church  after  the  election  sermon.  His  prede- 
cessors, Adams  and  Hancock,  had  been  crippled 
by  gout  or  infirmity. 

Thank  God,  Massachusetts  had  at  last  got  a  Sen  • 
ator  that  could  walk,  and  with  the  firm  and  upright 
step  of  a  real  man.  u  Laus  Deo"  wrote  Mr.  Chase 
when  he  heard  of  the  event,  and  all  lovers  of  free- 
dom re-echoed  the  sentiment. 

Mr.  Sumner  heard  of  the  election  while  at  the 
house  of  Hon.  Charles  Francis  Adams,  in  Boston, 
and  there  received  the  first  congratulations.  A 
proposition  for  a  public  demonstration  at  his  own 
house  in  the  evening  he  discountenanced,  saying, 
that,  while  feeling  grateful  to  friends  for  their 
kindness,  he  was  unwilling  to  do  or  say  anything 
that  could  be  construed  by  any  one  as  evidence 
of  personal  triumph,  —  that  it  was  the  triumph  of 
the  cause,  but  that  his  heart  dictated  silence. 
The  account  given  in  the  second  volume  of  his 
Works,  further  states,  that  "  in  the  evening  there 
was  a  meeting  for  congratulation  in  State  Street, 
where  speeches  were  made  by  Hon.  Henry  Wil- 


172        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

son  and  others."  The  crowd  in  State  Street 
moved  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Sumner,  but  he  had 
left  the  city. 

A  well-known  colored  man  of  the  city,  Lewis 
Hayden,  who  had  been  a  fugitive  slave,  says 
that  towards  evening  he  met  Mr.  Sumner  in 
Cambridge  Street,  who  said  to  him,  "  I  am  doing 
what  you  did  once  —  running  away.  I  am  a  fugi- 
tive —  from  my  friends."  He  was  on  his  way  to 
Cambridge,  to  his  friend,  Mr.  Longfellow. 

Besides  other  considerations,  the  solemn  re- 
sponsibilities, which  he  well  knew  were  awaiting 
him,  may  also  have  weighed  heavily  upon  Mr. 
Sumner's  mind. 

He  was,  further,  making  another  great  sacri- 
fice. We  have  seen  how,  at  an  earlier  period,  in 
1845,  and  again  during  the  discussions  on  Prison 
Discipline,  he  had  lost  caste,  in  distinguished 
social  circles,  for  his  radical  novelties,  and  his 
crossing  the  path  of  older  and  most  reverend 
worthies  in  church  and  state.  But  now,  doors 
which  had  been  partially  closed  were  to  be  shut 
in  his  face.  He  had  allowed  himself  to  be  a  com- 
petitor with  a  gentleman  whom  conservative  Bos- 
ton delighted  to  honor,  and  had  actually  taken 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        173 

possession  of  that  dignified  position  of  senator, 
which  had  seemed  made  vacant  on  purpose  foi 
Mr.  Winthrop.  This  was  not  to  be  endured. 

Most  of  Mr.  Sumner's  immediate  literary  friends, 
to  whom  he  had  been  closely  bound,  now,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  turned  their  backs  upon 
him.  Among  the  exceptions  were  Mr.  Prescott 
and  Mr.  Longfellow,  whose  friendship  was  immov- 
able. One  friend,  distinguished  for  his  classical 
attainments,  would  not,  from  this  time,  speak  to 
Mr.  Sumner,  nor  recognize  him  when  they  chanced 
to  meet  in  the  street;  though  in  after  years  a 
hearty  reconciliation  took  place.  Such  treatment 
must  have  saddened  Mr.  Sumner's  heart,  though 
it  could  not  turn  him  from  his  high  purpose.  Not 
Plato,  but  Truth. 

Through  all  these  transactions  we  see  the  gen- 
uine greatness  of  the  man.  He  did  not  seek 
office.  Office  sought  him.  "  No  man,"  says  a 
journal  of  that  day,  "  ever  accepted  office  with 
cleaner  hands  than  Charles  Sumner.  He  con- 
sented to  receive  the  nomination  with  extreme 
reluctance.  His  pursuits,  his  tastes,  his  aspira- 
tions, were  in  a  different  direction.  He  earnestly 
entreated  his  friends  to  select  some  other  candi- 


174  LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNEE. 

date.  After  he  was  nominated,  an  onslaught, 
unprecedented  for  ferocity  and  recklessness  in 
political  warfare,  had  seemed  to  render  his  elec- 
tion impossible,  unless  he  would  authorize  some 
qualification  of  the  alleged  obnoxious  doctrines 
of  his  speeches,  particularly  of  his  last  Faneuil 
Hall  speech.  Mr.  Sumner  refused  to  retract, 
qualify,  or  explain.  Ten  lines  from  his  pen — • 
lines  that  a  politician  might  have  written  without 
even  the  appearance  of  a  change  of  sentiment  — 
would  have  secured  his  election  in  January.  No 
solicitation  of  friends  or  opponents  could  extort 
a  line. 

"  A  delegation  of  Hunkers  applied  to  him  for  a 
few  words  to  cover  their  retreat.  In  reply,  he 
stated  that  he  had  no  pledges  to  give,  no  explana- 
tions to  make  ;  he  referred  them  to  his  published 
speeches  for  his  position,  and  added,  that  he  had 
not  sought  the  office,  but  if  it  came  to  him  it  must 
find  him  an  independent  man.  To  another  Dem- 
ocrat, who  called  on  him  on  the  same  errand,  he 
said,  'If  by  walking  around  my  office  I  could 
secure  the  senatorship,  I  would  not  take  a  step.7 
"  In  February  he  placed  in  the  hands  of  General 
[now  Vice-President]  Wilson  [then  president  of 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        175 

the  state  Senate]  a  letter  authorizing  that  gentle- 
man to  withdraw  his  name,  whenever,  in  his  judg- 
ment, the  good  of  the  cause  should  require  it.'7  * 

Besides  a  letter  of  acceptance  sent  to  both 
Houses,  Mr.  Sumner,  following  the  precedent  set 
by  John  Quincy  Adams  in  1808,  addressed  the 
legislature  directly.  In  that  speech  he  said,  "  If 
I  were  to  follow  the  customary  course,  I  should 
receive  this  [certificate  of  election]  in  silence. 
But  the  protracted  and  unprecedented  contest 
which  ended  in  my  election,  the  interest  it  awa- 
kened, the  importance  universally  conceded  to  it, 
the  ardor  of  opposition,  and  the  constancy  of  sup- 
port which  it  aroused,  also  the  principles  which 
more  than  ever  among  us  it  brought  into  discus- 
sion, seem  to  justify  what  my  own  feelings  irre- 
sistibly prompt  —  a  departure  from  this  rule.  .  .  . 

"  Your  appointment  finds  me  in  a  private  station, 
with  which  I  am  entirely  content.  For  the  first 
time  in  my  life  I  am  called  to  political  office. 
With  none  of  the  experience  possessed  by  others 
to  smooth  the  way  of  labor,  I  well  might  hesitate. 
But  I  am  cheered  by  the  generous  confidence, 
which,  throughout  a  lengthened  contest,  perse- 

*  Daily  Commonwealth,  April  25,  1851. 


176  LIFE   OP   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

vered  in  sustaining  me,  and  by  the  conviction 
that,  amidst  all  seeming  differences  of  party,  the 
sentiments  of  which  I  am  the  known  advocate, 
and  which  led  to  my  original  selection  as  candi- 
date, are  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  people  through- 
out this  commonwealth.  .  .  . 

"  Acknowledging  the  right  of  my  country  to 
the  services  of  her  sons  wherever  she  chooses  to 
place  them,  and  with  a  heart  full  of  gratitude  that 
a  sacred  cause  is  permitted  to  triumph  through 
me,  I  now  accept  the  post,  of  senator. 

"  I  accept  it  as  the  servant  of  Massachusetts, 
mindful  of  the  sentiments  solemnly  uttered  by  her 
successive  legislatures,  of  the  genius  which  in- 
spires her  history,  and  of  the  men,  her  perpetual 
pride  and  ornament,  who  breathed  into  her  that 
breath  of  liberty  which  early  made  her  an  ex- 
ample to  the  States.  In  such  service,  the  way, 
though  new  to  my  footsteps,  is  illumined  by  lights 
which  cannot  be  missed.  .  .  . 

"  Let  me  borrow,  in  conclusion,  the  language 
of  another :  1 1  see  my  duty  —  that  of  standing 
up  for  the  liberties  of  my  country ;  and  whatever 
difficulties  and  discouragements  lie  in  my  way,  I 
dare  not  shrink  from  it ;  and  I  rely  on  that  Being 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        177 

who  has  not  left  to  us  the  choice  of  duties,  that, 
whilst  I  conscientiously  discharge  mine,  I  shall 
not  finally  lose  my  reward.7  These  are  words  at- 
tributed to  Washington  in  the  early  days  of  the 
American  revolution.  The  rule  of  duty  is  the 
same  for  the  lowly  and  the  great;  and  I  hope  it 
may  not  seem  presumptuous  in  one  so  humble  as 
myself  to  adopt  his  determination,  and  to  avow 
his  confidence." 

And  so  Massachusetts  sent  a  MAN  to  represent 
her  in  the  "  high  places  of  the  field." 

The  same  month  Horace  Mann  wrote  from  his 
place  in  Washington,  "  My  dear  Sumner,  Laus 
Deo  1  Good,  better,  best,  better  yet !  By  the 
necessity  of  the  case,  you  are  now  to  be  a  poli- 
tician —  an  honest  one.  Scores  have  asked 
whether  you  would  be  true.  I  have  under- 
written to  the  amount  of  twenty  reputations." 
12 


178        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Lifting  up  and   Casting  down.  —  Thomas  Sims 
a  Fugitive  Slave.  —  Returned  to  his  "  Master" 

—  Theodore  Parker.  —  Mr.  Sumner's  Opinion. 

—  His  First  Remarks  in  the   Senate.  —  Kos- 
suth.  —  Land    Bill.  —  Roads.  —  J.    Fenimore 
Cooper.  —  Drayton  and  Sayres.  —  Anxiety  of 
Mr.  Sumner's  Friends.  —  Fugitive  Slave  Bill. 

—  Attempt  to   get  a  Hearing.  —  His   Friends 
censure  him.  —  Letter  to  Mr.   Parker.  —  The 
great  Opportunity  improved. 

WE  will  go  back  a  little  way  to  the  time  when 
the  voting  for  senator  was  yet  going  on  in  the 
legislature.  Between  the  nineteenth  and  twen- 
tieth ballotings, —  that  is,  between  March  19  and 
April  20,  1851,  —  another  scene,  of  far  different 
character,  was  enacting  in  a  United  States  com- 
missioner's court,  in  the  same  city  of  Boston  — 
different,  yet  strangely  connected  with  the  other 
in  the  State  House. 


LIFE  OF   CHARLES   SUMNER.  179 

In  the  one  case  the  question  was,  which  one 
of  two  freemen  should  be  elevated  to  a  high  post 
of  honor ;  in  the  other,  whether  a  man,  an  Amer- 
ican, should  be  sent  back  to  slavery.  What  a 
junlble  of  ideas  in  a  free,  Christian  land ! 

One  American  was  exalted  to  office,,  another 
American  was  deemed  to  be  a  slave,  the  property 
of  yet  another  American,  and  went  down  again 
into  his  prison-house. 

Doubtless  this  example  of  the  injustice  and  bar- 
barity of  slavery,  right  under  the  shadow  of  the 
State  House,  helped  to  nerve  the  friends  of  free- 
dom to  stand  by  Mr.  Sumner. 

Thomas  Sims,  poor  fellow,  had  found  his  way 
to  Boston  in  search  of  freedom,  and  for  a  time 
felt  comparatively  safe,  close  by  the  "  Cradle  of 
Liberty."  He  was  seized  under  the  false  charge 
of  having  stolen  a  watch,  and  hurried  off,  after 
he  had  made  a  stout  resistance,  to  the  Court 
House,  which  was  converted  into  a  jail.  While 
being  taken  from  the  carriage  into  the  Court 
House,  he  uttered  the  broken  cry,  "  I  am  in  the 
hands  of  the  kidnappers.'7 

The  jail  was  guarded  by  the  city  marshal  and 
sixty  members  of  the  city  police.  A  detachment 


180        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

of  the  military  was  also  ordered  out.  Chains  were 
placed  around  the  building,  and  all  citizens  were 
strictly  prohibited  admission,  except  members  of 
the  press  and  the  bar. 

Before  the  commissioner,  Sims  was  defended 
by  Robert  Rantoul,  Jr.,  Charles  G-.  Loring,  and 
Samuel  E.  Sewall.  The  last  gentleman,  always 
an  ardent  friend  of  freedom,  had  specially  inter- 
ested himself  in  the  case.  On  the  12th  of  April, 
Sims  was  adjudged  to  be  the  property  of  a  man 
named  Potter.  In  one  week  more  he  was  back 
again  in  Savannah. 

Being  delivered  to  his  "  master,"  he  was  taken 
down  State  Street,  under  an  escort  of  two  or 
three  hundred  men,  in  violation  of  the  laws  of 
the  State,  on  his  way  back  to  the  house  of  bon- 
dage. 

It  was  of  this  outrage  that  Theodore  Parker, 
who  was  never  silent  when  liberty  was  at  stake, 
said  at  a  public  meeting,  •"  Nine  days  he  was  on 
trial  for  more  than  his  life,  and  never  saw  a  judge, 
never  saw  a  jury.  He  was  sent  forth  into  bon- 
dage from  the  city  of  Boston.  You  remember  the 
chains  that  were  put  around  the  Court  House,  you 
remember  the  judges  of  Massachusetts  stooping, 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        181 

crouching,  creeping,  crawling,  under  the  chains 
of  slavery,  in  order  to  get  into  their  own 
court." 

The  truth  of  history  compels  us  to  add,  that 
"  the  state  and  city  authorities,  the  judiciary,  the 
military,  the  merchants,"  and  very  many  of  the 
citizens,  approved  the  surrender. 

Some  months  before,  Shadrach,  a  fugitive  slave, 
had  been  rescued,  and  had  escaped.  The  com- 
mercial interests  of  Boston  seemed  to  require 
some  offering  to  the  slave  power,  and  Sims  was 
made  to  pass  through  the  fire  to  appease  the 
Southern  Moloch. 

Mr.  Sumner  was  deeply  interested  in  this  in- 
famous affair.  April  19,  a  week  after  the  rendi- 
tion, he  wrote  to  Mr.  Parker  from  his  office  in 
Court  Street.  Mr.  Parker  had  preached  on  the 
subject  on  Sunday,  the  llth. 

• "  May  you  live  a  thousand  years,  always 
preaching  the  truth  of  Fast  day !  That  sermon 
is  a  noble  effort.  It  stirred  me  to  the  bottom  of  my 
heart,  at  times  softening  me  almost  to  tears,  and 
then  again  filling  me  with  rage.  ... 

"  You  have  placed  the  commissioner  in  an  im- 
mortal pillory,  to  receive  the  hootings  and  rotten 
eggs  of  the  advancing  generations.  .  .  . 


182        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

"  My  appeal  is  to  the  people,  and  my  hopes  to 
create  in  Massachusetts  such  a  public  opinion  as 
will  render  the  law  a  dead  letter.  It  is  in  vain 
to  expect  its  repeal  by  Congress  till  the  slave 
power  is  overthrown. 

"  It  is,  however,  with  a  rare  dementia  that  this 
power  has  staked  itself  on  a  position  which  is  so 
offensive,  and  which  cannot  for  any  length  of 
time  be  tenable.  In  enacting  that  law,  it  has 
given  to  the  Free  States  a  sphere  of  discussion 
which  they  would  otherwise  have  missed." 

And  so  Charles  Sumner  went  to  his  seat  at 
Washington,  and  Thomas  Sims  to  a  plantation  in 
Georgia.  But  the  lofty  senator  and  the  lowly 
slave  were,  after  all,  co-laborers  in  the  cause  of 
freedom  —  yes,  and  co-sufferers. 

In  December,  1851,  Mr.  Sumner  took  his  place 
in  the  Senate  ;  and  it  is  an  interesting  fact,  that 
the  very  day  he  went  into  the  chamber,  Henry 
Clay  went  out  of  it,  never  to  return  —  a  fact 
symbolical  of  the  going  out  of  the  old  era  of 
compromise,  and  the  coming  in  of  a  new  era  of 
principle. 

Mr.  Sumner's  first  speech  in  the  Senate,  De- 
cember 10,  was  very  short,  but  it  was  character- 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        183 

istic  of  the  man.  His  heart  embraced  every  man 
who,  in  whatever  land,  showed  himself  the  self- 
sacrificing  friend  of  our  struggling  humanity. 
When,  then,  a  resolution  was  introduced  by  Mr. 
Seward  extending  to  Louis  Kossuth,  the  Hun- 
garian patriot,  a  national  welcome,  it  had  in  Mr. 
Sumner  a  warm  advocate.  "  I  see  in  him/7  said 
he,  "'more  than  in  any  other  living  man,  the 
power  which  may  be  exerted  by  a  single  earnest, 
honest  soul  in  a  noble  cause.  .  .  .  He  seems  at 
times  the  fiery  sword  of  freedom,  and  then  the 
trumpet  of  resurrection  to  the  nations.'7 

Mr.  Sumner  regarded  slavery  as  now  the  one 
supreme  question,  but  he  could  and  did  take 
a  comprehensive  survey  of  all  subjects  of  na- 
tional importance.  And  although  senator  from 
Massachusetts,  he  also  knew  that  he  was  senator 
of  the  United  States.  Hence,  when,  in  February, 
1852,  a  bill  came  up  affecting  the  interests  of  the 
land  States  in  the  West,  —  the  Iowa  Railroad  Bill, 
—  he  strongly  urged  a  grant  of  land  to  that  State 
in  aid  of  certain  railroads.  Hear  what  he  had  to 
say  about  roads :  — 

"It  would  be  difficult  to  exaggerate  the  in- 
fluence of  roads  as  means  of  civilization.  This  at 


184        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

least  may  be  said,  where  roads  are  not,  civiliza- 
tion cannot  be ;  and  civilization  advances  as  roads 
are  extended.  By  roads  religion  and  knowledge 
are  diffused,  —  intercourse  of  all  kinds  is  pro- 
moted,—  producer,  manufacturer,  and  consumer 
are  all  brought  nearer  together,  —  commerce 
is  quickened,  markets  are  created,  —  property, 
wherever  touched  by  these  lines,  as  by  a  magic 
rod  is  changed  into  new  value ;  and  the  great 
current  of  travel,  like  that  stream  of  classic  fable, 
or  one  of  the  rivers  of  our  own  California,  hur- 
ries in  a  channel  of  golden  sand.  The  roads,  to- 
gether with  the  laws,  of  ancient  Rome  are  now 
better  remembered  than  her  victories.  The 
Flaminian  and  Appian  Ways,  once  trod  by  such 
great  destinies,  still  remain  as  beneficent  repre- 
sentatives of  ancient  grandeur.  Under  God,  the 
road  and  the  schoolmaster  are  two  chief  agents 
of  human  improvement.  The  education  begun 
by  the  schoolmaster  is  expanded,  liberalized,  and 
completed  by  intercourse  with  the  world;  and 
this  intercourse  finds  new  opportunities  and  in- 
ducements in  every  road  that  is  built." 

•About  the  same  time,  Mr.  Sumner,  in  response 
to  an  invitation  to  a  proposed  demonstration  in 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

memory  of  J.  Fenimore  Cooper,  paid  a  just  and 
graceful  tribute  to  the  great  American  novelist : 

"  As  an  author  of  clear  and  manly  prose,  as  a 
portray er  to  the  life  of  scenes  on  land  and  sea, 
as  a  master  of  the  keys  to  human  feelings,  and 
as  a  beneficent  contributor  to  the  general  fund 
of  happiness,  he  is  remembered  with  delight. 
As  a  patriot  who  loved  his  country,  who  illus- 
trated its  history,  who  advanced  •  its  character 
abroad,  and  by  his  genius  won  for  it  the  unwill- 
ing regard  of  foreign  nations,  he  deserves  a 
place  in  the  hearts  of  the  American  people." 

Some  time  after  this,  Mr.  Sumner  became  in- 
terested in  the  case  of  two  men,  Drayton  and 
Sayres,  incarcerated  at  Washington  for  helping 
the  escape  of  slaves.  On  the  14th  of  May,  he 
submitted  an  opinion  to  the  president  upon  his 
pardoning  power,  hoping  to  effect  their  release. 

The  case  is  thus  stated  by  Mr.  Sumner  him- 
self :- 

"  This  case,  from  beginning  to  end,  is  a  curious 
episode  of  anti- slavery  history.  The  people  of 
Washington  were  surprised,  on  the  morning  of 
April  16,  1848, 'at  hearing  that  the  '  Pearl/ 
a  schooner  from  the  North,  had  sailed  down 


186        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEK. 

the  Potomac  with  seventy-six  slaves,  who  had 
hurried  aboard  in  the  vain  hope  of  obtaining 
their  freedom.  The  schooner  was  pursued  and 
brought  back  to  Washington,  with  her  human 
cargo,  and  the  liberators,  Drayton,  master,  and 
Sayres,  mate.  As  the  latter  were  taken  from 
the  river-side  to  the  jail,  they  were  followed  by 
a  pro- slavery  mob,  estimated  at  from  four  to  six 
thousand  people,  many  armed  with  deadly  weap- 
ons, amid  wrathful  cries  of  — '  Hang  him  ! ' 
'  Lynch  him  ! 7  with  all  profanities  and  abom- 
inations -of  speech,  and  exposed  to  violence  of 
all  kinds,  —  the  thrust  of  a  dirk-knife  coming 
within  an  inch  of  Drayton.  The  same  mob  be- 
sieged the  jail,  and,  hearing  that  Hon.  Joshua 
R.  Griddings,  the  brave  representative  of  Ohio, 
was  there  in  consultation  with  the  prisoners, 
demanded  his  immediate  expulsion;  and  the 
jailer,  to  save  bloodshed,  insisted  upon  his  de- 
parture. Nor  was  the  prevailing  rage  confined 
to  the  jail.  It  extended  to  the  office  of  the 
National  Era,  the  anti-slavery  paper,  which 
was  saved  from  destruction  only  through  the 
courage  and  calmness  of  its  a'dmirable  editor. 
The  spirit  of  the  mob  entered  both  houses  of 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        187 

Congress,  and  the  slave-masters  raged,  as  was 
their  wont. 

"Meanwhile,  Drayton  and  Sayres  were  in- 
dicted before  the  Criminal  Court  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  for  '  transporting  slaves.' 
There  were  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
indictments  against  each  of  the  prisoners,  and 
the  bail  demanded  of  each  was  seventy- six 
thousand  dollars.  Hon,  Horace  Mann,  a  rep- 
resentative of  Massachusetts,  appeared  for  the 
defence.  His  speech  on  this  occasion  will  be 
read  with  constant  interest.  The  spirit  of  the 
mob  without  entered  the  court-room,  betraying 
itself  even  in  the  conduct  of  the  judge,  while, 
standing  near  the  devoted  counsel  for  the  de- 
fence, were  men  who  cocked  pistols  and  drew 
dirks  in  the  mob  that  followed  the  prisoners  to 
the  jail.  Of  course  the  verdict  was  '  guilty,' 
and  the  sentence  was  according  to  the  extreme 
requirement  of  a  barbarous  law. 

"  Drayton  and  Sayres  lingered  in  prison  more 
than  four  years,  and  during  this  long  incarcera- 
tion, they  were  the  objects  of  much  sympathy 
at  the  North.  A  petition  to  Congress  in  their  be- 
half, signed  by  leading  abolitionists,  including  the 


188        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

eloquent  Wendell  Phillips,  was  forwarded  to  Mr. 
Sunmer  for  presentation  to  the  Senate.  On  care- 
ful consideration,  he  was  satisfied  that  such  a 
petition,  if  presented,  would  excite  the  dominant 
power  to  insist  more  strongly  than  ever  on  the 
letter  of  the  law,  and  he  took  the  responsibility 
of  withholding  it.  Meanwhile  he  visited  the  suf- 
ferers in  prison,  and  appealed  to  President  Fill- 
more  for  their  pardon.  In  this  application  he 
was  aided  by  that  humane  lady,  Miss  Dix.  The 
president  interposed  doubts  of  his  right  to  par- 
don in  such  a  case,  but  expressed  a  desire  for 
light  on  this  point. 

"  At  his  invitation,  Mr.  Sumner  laid  before  him 
a  paper,  which  was  referred  to  the  attorney- gen- 
eral, Mr.  Crittenden,  who  gave  an  opinion  affirm- 
ing the  power  of  the  president ;  adding,  however, 
'  Whether  the  power  shall  be  exercised  in  this 
instance  is  another  and  very  different  question.' 
This  opinion  bears  date  August  4,  1852,  which,  it 
will  be  observed,  was  some  time  after  the  presi- 
dential convention  of  the  two  great  political  par- 
ties. Shortly  afterwards  the  pardon  was  granted. 

"  There  was  reason  to  believe  that  an  attempt 
would  be  made  to  arrest  the  pardoned  persons 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        189 

on  warrants  from  the  governor  of  Virginia.  An- 
ticipating this  peril,  Mr.  Sumner,  as  soon  as  the 
pardon  was  signed,  hurried  to  the  jail  in  a  car- 
riage, and,  taking  them  with  him,  put  them  in 
charge  of  a  friend,  who  conveyed  them  that 
night  to  Baltimore,  a  distance  of  forty  miles, 
where  they  arrived  in  season  for  the  early  morn- 
ing trains  north,  and  in  a  few  hours  were  out  of 
danger."  * 

About  seven  months  had  now  elapsed  since 
Mr.  Sumner  took  his  seat  in  Congress ;  and  yet, 
with  the  exception  of  brief  remarks  on  present- 
ing a  memorial  from  some  Friends  against  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Bill,  his  voice  had  not  been  heard 
in  defence  of  the  great  cause  for  which  mainly 
he  had  been  sent  there.  His  friends  in  Massa- 
chusetts began  to  feel  some  measure  of  anxiety. 
Theodore  Parker  had  written  to  him,  more  than  a 
year  before,  "  I  hope  you  will  be  the  senator  with 
a  conscience.  I  look  to  you  to  represent  justice. 
I  expect  much  of  you.  '  I  expect  heroism  of  the 
most  heroic  kind."  Writing  to  Dr.  S.  G.  Howe, 
Mr.  Parker  said,  "  Do  you  see  what  imminent 

*  Works  of  Charles  Sumner.    Boston :  Lee  &  Shepard. 


190  LIFE   OP   CHARLES   SUMNEB. 

deadly  peril  poor  Sumner  is  in  ?  If  he  does  not 
speak,  then  he  is  dead." 

So  potent  in  previous  years  had  been  the 
Southern  spell,  'either  by  blandishments  or  men- 
aces, to  seal  the  lips  of  Northern  men  upon  the 
subject  of  slavery,  that  it  is  scarcely  strange  that 
doubts  even  of  Charles  Sumner's  courage  and 
conscience  began  to  arise  ;  for  he,  too,  had  been 
approached,  in  the  old  way  so  well  understood 
by  Southern  gentlemen,  with  soft  and  courteous 
words.  But  our  Samson  was  not  to  be  taken  in 
the  toils  which  had  captured  so  many  Northern 
men.  He  knew  what  their  polished  phrases 
meant. 

He  had  counted  the  cost,  and  was  all  the  while 
but  watching  his  opportunity.  At  length,  July 
27,  1852,  he  broke  silence.  "  I  have  a  resolu- 
tion," said  he  in  his  place,  "  which  I  desire  to 
offer ;  and  as  it  is  rjot  in  order  to  debate  it  to- 
day, I  give  notice  that  I  shall  expect  to  call  it  up 
to-morrow,  at  an  early  moment  in  the  morning 
hour,  when  I  shall  throw  myself  upon  the  indul- 
gence of  the  Senate  to  be  heard  upon  it. 

" '  Resolved,  That  the  committee  on  the  judi- 
ciary be  instructed  to  consider  the  expediency 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER.  191 

of  reporting  a  bill  for  the  immediate  repeal  of  the 
act  of  Congress,  approved  September  18,  1850, 
known  as  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act.' ' 

The  next  day  he  asked  permission  to  take  up 
the  resolution.  "  As  a  senator,"  he  said,  "  under 
the  responsibilities  of  my  position,  I  have  deemed 
it  my  duty  to  offer  the  resolution.  I  may  seem 
to  have  postponed  this  duty  to  an  inconvenient 
period  of  the  session ;  but  had  I  attempted  it  at 
an  earlier  day,  I  might  have  exposed  myself  to  a 
charge  of  a  different  character.  It  might  have 
been  said,  that,  a  new-comer,  and  inexperienced 
in  this  scene,  without  deliberation,  hastily,  rashly, 
recklessly,  I  pushed  this  question  before  the 
country.  This  is  not  the  case  now.  I  have  taken 
time,  and,  in  the  exercise  of  my  most  careful  dis- 
cretion, at  last  ask  the  attention  of  the  Senate." 

And  then  he  added,  "  Make  such  disposition  of 
my  resolution  afterwards  as  to  you  shall  seem 
best ;  visit  upon  me  any  degree  of  criticism, 
censure,  or  displeasure ;  but  do  not  refuse  me  a 
hearing.  L  Strike,  but  hear.'  "  * 

The  Senate,  by  a  vote  of  thirty-two  against  ten, 
refused  to  hear  him. .  Those  who  voted  in  the 
affirmative  were  Messrs.  Clarke,  Davis,  Dodge, 


192  LIFE  -OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

Foot,  Hamlin,  Seward,  Shields,  Upham,  and 
Wade. 

The  slave  power  boasted,  that,  for  that  session 
at  least,  the  Massachusetts  abolitionist  should 
not  be  heard'. 

But  while  his  enemies  boasted,  his  friends  cen- 
sured. Even  now  suspicion  was  not  entirely 
removed.  Surely  Mr.  Sumner  might  contrive 
some  way  to  compel  a  hearing,  if  he  wished  to. 
So  said  many  of  his  friends  in  Massachusetts. 
Even  the  Liberator  allowed  itself  to  indulge  in 
an  ungenerous  fling  at  the  silent  senator.  He 
must  be  under  an  overseer  !  Theodore  Parker, 
too,  who  knew  Mr.  Sumner  so  well,  was  not  satis- 
fied, and  so  he  wrote  to  him.  To  this  the  sena- 
tor replied,  August  11,  — 

"  I  will  not  argue  the  question  of  past  delay. 
To  all  that  can  be  said  on  that  head,  there  is  this 
explicit  answer.  With  a  heart  full  of  devotion 
to  our  cause,  in  the  exercise  of  my  best  discre- 
tion, and  on  the  advice  or  with  the  concurrence  of 
friends,  I  have  waited.  It  may  be  that  this  was 
unwise,  but  it  was  honestly  and  sincerely  adopted, 
with  a  view  to  serve  the  cause.  Let  this  pass. 

"  You  cannot  desire  a  speech  from  me  more 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEK.        193 

than  I  desire  to  make  one.  I  came  to  the  Senate 
on  my  late  motion  (July  27),  prepared  for  the 
work,  hoping  to  be  allowed  to  go  on,  with  the 
promise  of  leaders  from  all  sides  that  I  should 
have  a  hearing.  I  was  cut  off.  No  chance  for 
courtesy.  I  must  rely  upon  my  rights. 

"  You  tell  me  not  to  wait  for  the  Civil  Appro- 
priation Bill.  I  know  that  it  is  hardly  within  the 
range  of  possibilities  that  any  other  bill  should 
come  -forward,  before  this  bill,  to  which  my 
amendment  can  be  attached.  For  fen  days  we 
have  been  on  the  Indian  Appropriation  Bill. 
With  this  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill  is  not  ger- 
mane. 

"  The  Civil  Appropriation  Bill  will  probably 
pass  the  House  to-day.  It  will  come  at  once  to 
the  Senate,  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on 
Finance,  be  reported  back  by  them  with  amend- 
ments. After  the  consideration  of  these  amend- 
ments of  the  committee,  and  not  before,  my  chance 
will  come.  For  this  I  am  prepared,  with  a  deter- 
mination equal  to  your  own.  All  this  delay  is  to 
me  a  source  of  grief  and  -disappointment.  But  I 
know  my  heart ;  and  I  know  that  sincerely,  singly, 
I  have  striven  for  the  cause. 
13 


194  LIFE  OF   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

"  You  remember  the  picture  in  the  '  Ancient 
Mariner  '  of  the  ship  in  the  terrible  calm  ?  In  such 
a  calm  is  my  ship  at  this  moment ;  I  cannot  move 
it.  But  I  claim  the  confidence  of  friends,  for  I 
know  that  I  deserve  it.  ...  There  is  a  time  for 
aU  things." 

Directly  after  he  wrote  again,  "  In  my  course 
I  have  thought  little  what  people  would  say, 
whether  Hunkers  or  Free  Soilers,  but  how  I  could 
most  serve  the  cause.  This  consciousness  sustains 
me  now,  while  I  hear  reports  of  distrust,  and 
note  the  gibes  of  the  press. 

"Nothing  but  death  or  deadly  injustice,  over 
throwing  all  rule,  can  prevent  me  from  speaking. 
In  waiting  till  I  did,  I  was  right." 

It  looks  to  us,  at  this  time,  as  if  Mr.  Parker 
acted  with  a  measure  of  officiousness,  too  much 
in  the  character  of  a  conscience-keeper,  when  he 
thus  seemed  to  dictate  to  Mr.  Sumner  his  line  of 
duty  |  though,  perhaps,  he  used  only  the  frank 
freedom  of  a  friend. 

But  Mr.  Sumner,  on  the  spot,  best  understood 
his  position,  its  difficulties  and  opportunities.  Af- 
ter the  26th  of  August  there  was  no  more  distrust. 

We  may  here  premise,  that  a  chief  artifice  of 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.         195 

the  Whigs  and  Democrats — both  bidding  for 
Southern  patronage  —  was  the  cry,  that  they, 
standing  by  the  compromise  measures,  consti- 
tuted the  national  party,  while  all  others  were 
chargeable  with  sectionalism.  Mr.  Sumner  de- 
termined to  reverse  the  order,  to  prove  that 
freedom  was  national,  slavery  sectional.  But 
how  could  he  get  a  hearing  before  a  body  which 
had  just  commanded  silence  ?  No  thanks  to  the 
Senate.  The  Civil  Diplomatic  Appropriation  Bill 
being  under  consideration,  the  following  amend- 
ment was  proposed  by  Mr.  Hunter,  of  Virginia  :  — 

"•That,  where  the  ministerial  officers  of  the 
United  States  have  or  shall  incur  extraordinary 
expenses  in  executing  the  laws  thereof,  the  pay- 
ment of  which  is  not  specifically  provided  for,  the 
President  of  the  United  States  is  authorized  to 
allow  the  payment  thereof,  under  the  special 
taxation  of  the  District  or  Circuit  Court  of  the 
District  in  which  the  said  services  have  been  or 
shall  be  rendered,. to  be  paid  from  the  appropria- 
tion for  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  Judiciary." 

The  "  extraordinary  expenses  "  of  course  meant 
those  incurred  in  the  apprehension,  trial,  and 
rendition  of  fugitive  slaves,  under  the  recently 
enacted  Fugitive  Slave  Bill. 


196        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

His  hour  had  come.  Mr.  Sumner  immediately 
moved  the  following  amendment  to  the  amend- 
ment :  — 

"Provided,  That  no  such  allowance  shall  be 
authorized  for  any  expenses  incurred  in  execut- 
ing the  act  of  September  18,  1850,  for  the  sur- 
render of  fugitives  from  service  or  labor  ;  which 
said  act  is  hereby  repealed." 

When  it  was  known  that  Mr.  Sumner  intended 
to  speak,  several  senators  came  to  him,  begging 
him  to  desist  from  his  purpose.  He  replied, 
"  God  willing,  I  shall  speak,  and  press  the  ques- 
tion to  a  vote,  even  if  I  am  left  alone." 

He  did  speak,  and  for  nearly  four  hours.  It 
must  have  been  a  thrilling  scene.  There,  before 
the  speaker,  were  his  fellow-senators,  ah1  of  them 
bitter  opponents,  or  timid  friends,  save  a  little 
handful  of  hated,  yet  despised  abolitionists,  a 
helpless  minority.  He  was  to  speak  upon  a  sub- 
ject so  "  delicate,"  that  barely  to  mention  it  was 
to  throw  the  slaveholding  members  into  spasms, 
—  the  one  subject  which  alone,  of  all  others, 
might  not  be  brought  into  discussion.  Whigs 
and  Democrats  had  combined  to  compel  him  to 
silence ;  hitherto  with  success.  But  behold,  he 
has  the  floor,  and  they  must  hear  him. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.       197 

Mr.  Sumner  knew  that  he  was  addressing  more 
than  the  Senate.  The  whole  country  was  his  au- 
dience. And  he  rose  to  the  greatness  and  solem- 
nity of  the  occasion.  Inspired  by  a  profound 
sense  of  justice,  sustained  by  a  firm  conviction 
that  he  was  right,  and  by  the  certain  belief  in  the 
final  triumph  of  his  cause,  he  knew  that  he  had 
the  advantage  of  his  opponents.  He  knew  that 
their  consciences  were  on  his  side ;  and  he  looked 
them  in  the  face  without  quailing.  There  was  a 
voice  which  said  to  him,  "  Fear  not,  for  they  that 
be  with  us  are  more  than  they  that  be  with  them." 
He  knew  that  in  "  dear  old  Massachusetts  "  and 
elsewhere,  he  had  the  warm  sympathies  of  valued 
friends  of  humanity.  His  was  the  cause  of  God. 

"  Mr.  President,"  he  began,  "  here  is  a  provis- 
ion for  extraordinary  expenses  incurred  in  exe- 
cuting the  laws  of  the  United  States.  Extraordi- 
nary expenses  !  Sir,  beneath  these  specious  words 
lurks  the  very  subject  on  which,  by  a  solemn  vote 
of  this  body,  I  was  refused  a  hearing.  Here  it  is ; 
no  longer  open  to  the  charge  of  being  an  '  ab- 
straction/ but  actually  presented  for  practical 
legislation ;  not  introduced  by  me,  but  by  the 
senator  from  Virginia  (Mr.  Hunter),  on  the  rec- 


198  LIFE   OF   CHAELES  SUMNER. 

ommendation  of  an  important  committee  of  the 
Senate ;  not  brought  forward  weeks  ago,  when 
there  was  ample  time  for  discussion,  but  only  at 
this  moment,  without  any  reference  to  the  late 
period  of  the  session.  The  amendment  which  I 
offer  proposes  to  remove  one  chief  occasion  of 
these  extraordinary  expenses.  Beyond  all  con- 
troversy or  cavil,  it  is  strictly  in  order.  And  now, 
at  last,  among  these  final  crowded  days  of  our 
duties  here,  but  at  this  earliest  opportunity,  I  am 
to  be  heard  —  not  as  a  favor,  but  as  a  right.  The 
graceful  usages  of  this  body  may  be  abandoned, 
but  the  established  privileges  of  debate  cannot  be 
abridged.  Parliamentary  courtesy  may  be  for- 
gotten, but  parliamentary  law  must  prevail.  The 
subject  is  broadly  before  the  Senate.  By  the 
blessing  of  God  it  shall  be  discussed. 

"  With  me,  sir,  there  is  no  alternative.  Pain- 
fully convinced  of  the  unutterable  wrong  and  woe 
of  slavery,  —  profoundly  believing  that,  accord- 
ing to  the  true  spirit  of  the  Constitution  and  the 
sentiments  of  the  fathers,  it  can  find  no  place 
under  our  national  government,  —  that  it  is  in 
every  respect  sectional,  and  in  no  respect  national, 
—  that  it  is  always  and  everywhere  creature  and 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.         199 

dependant  of  the  States,  and  never  anywhere 
creature  or  dependant  of  the  Nation,  and  that  the 
Nation  can  never,  by  legislative  or  other  act,  im- 
part to  it  any  support  under  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  —  with  these  convictions  I 
could  not  allow  this  session  to  reach  its  close 
without  making  or  seizing  an  opportunity  to  de- 
clare myself  openly  against  the  usurpation,  injus- 
tice, and  cruelty  of  the  late  intolerable  enactment 
for  the  recovery  of  fugitive  slaves.  Full  well  I 
know,  sir,  the  difficulties  of  this  discussion,  aris- 
ing from  prejudices  of  opinion  and  from  adverse 
conclusions,  strong  and  sincere  as  my  own.  Full 
well  I  know  that  I  am  in  a  small  minority,  with 
few  here  to  whom  I  can  look  for  sympathy  or  sup- 
port. Full  well  I  know  that  I  must  utter  things 
unwelcome  to  many  in  this  body,  which  I  cannot 
do  without  pain.  Full  well  I  know  that  the  insti- 
tution of  slavery  in  our  country,  which  I  now 
proceed  to  consider,  is  as  sensitive  as  it  is  power- 
ful, possessing  a  power  to  shake  the  whole  land, 
with  a  sensitiveness  that  shrinks  and  trembles  at 
the  touch.  But  while  these  things  may  properly 
prompt  me  to  caution  and  reserve,  they  cannot 
change  my  duty  or  my  determination  to  perform 


200        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

it.  For  this  I  willingly  forget  myself  and  all  per- 
sonal consequences.  The  favor  and  good-will  of 
my  fellow- citizens,  of  my  brethren  of  the  Senate, 
sir,  grateful  to  me  as  they  justly  are,  I  .am  ready, 
if  required,  to  sacrifice.  Whatever  I  am  or  may 
be  I  freely  offer  to  this  cause. 

"  Party  does  not  constrain  me  ;  nor  is  my  inde- 
pendence lessened  by  any  relations  to  the  office 
which  gives  me  a  title  to  be  heard  on  this  floor. 
Here,  sir,  I  speak  proudly.  By  no  effort,  by  no 
desire  of  my  own,  I  find  myself  a  senator  of 
the  United  States.  Never  before  have  I  held 
public  office  of  any  kind.  With  the  ample 
opportunities  of  private  life  I  was  content.  No 
tombstone  for  me  could  bear  a  fairer  inscription 
than  this  :  '  Here  lies  one  who,  without  the  hon- 
ors or  emoluments  of  public  station,  did  something 
for  his  fellow-men.7  From  such  simple  aspira- 
tions I  was  taken  away  by  the  free  choice  of  my 
native  Commonwealth,  and  placed  at  this  respon- 
sible post  of  duty,  without  personal  obligations 
of  any  kind,  beyond  what  was  implied  in  my  life 
and  published  words.  .  .  . 

"  Rejoicing  in  my  independence,  and  claiming 
nothing  from  party  ties,  I  throw  myself  upon  the 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        201 

candor  and  magnanimity  of  the  Senate.  I  ask 
your'  attention ;  I  trust  not  to  abuse  it.  I  may 
speak  strongly,  for  I  shall  speak  openly,  and  from 
the  strength  of  my  convictions.  I  may  speak 
warmly,  for  I  shall  speak  from  the  heart.  But  in 
no  event  can  I  forget  the  amenities  which  belong 
to  debate,  and  which  especially  become  this 
body.  Slavery  I  must  condemn  with  my  whole 
soul ;  but  here  I  need  only  borrow  the  language 
of  slaveholders ;  nor  would  it  accord  with  my 
habits  or  my  sense  of  justice  to  exhibit  them  as 
the  impersonation  of  the  institution  —  Jefferson 
calls  it  the  '  enormity  '  —  which  they  cherish.  Of 
them  I  do  not  speak ;  but  without  fear  and  with- 
out favor,  as  without  impeachment  of  any  person, 
I  assail  this  wrong.  Again,  sir,  I  may  err ;  but 
it  will  be  with  the  fathers.  I  plant  myself  on 
the  ancient  ways  of  the  republic,  with  its  grand- 
est names,  its  surest  landmarks,  and  all  its  origi- 
nal altar-fires  about  me." 

Referring  to  the  effort  to  suppress  free  speech, 
Mr.  Sumner  said,  "  But.  sir,  this  effort  is  impotent 
as  tyrannical.  Convictions  of  the  heart  cannot 
be  repressed.  Utterances  of  conscience  must  be 
heard.  They  break  forth  with  irrepressible 


202        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

might.  As  well  attempt  to  check  the  tides  of 
Ocean,  the  currents  of  the  Mississippi,  or  the  rush- 
ing waters  of  Niagara.  The  discussion  of  slavery 
will  proceed,  wherever  two  or  three  are  gathered 
together  —  by  the  fireside,  on  the  highway,  at  the 
public  meeting,  in  the  church.  The  movement 
against  slavery  is  from  the  Everlasting  Arm. 
Even  now  it  is  gathering  its  forces,  soon  to  be 
confessed  everywhere.  It  may  not  be  felt  yet  in 
the  high  places  of  office  and  power,  but  all  who  can 
put  their  ears  humbly  to  the  ground  will  hear  and 
comprehend  its  incessant  and  advancing  tread." 

The  argument  proving  the  national  character 
of  freedom  is  thus  condensed :  "  Considering  that 
slavery  is  of  such  an  offensive  character  that  it 
can  find  sanction  only  in  l  positive  law/  and  that 
it  has  no  such  l  positive  '  sanction  in  the  Constitu- 
tion,—  that  the  Constitution,  according  to  its 
preamble,  was  ordained  to  l  establish  justice  '  and 
1  secure  the  blessings  of  liberty,'  —  that,  in  the 
convention  which  framed  it,  and  also  elsewhere 
at  the  time,  it  was  declared  not  to  sanction 
slavery,  —  that,  according  to  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  the  Address  of  the  Continen- 
tal Congress,  the  nation  was  dedicated  to  l  liber- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        203 

ty '  and  the  l  rights  of  human  nature,'  —  that,  ac- 
cording to  the  principles  of  the  common  law,  the 
Constitution  must  be  interpreted  openly,  actively, 
and  perpetually  for  freedom,  —  that,  according  to 
the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court,  it  acts  upon 
slaves,  not  as  property,  but  as  persons,  —  that,  at 
the  first  organization  of  the  national  government 
under  Washington,  slavery  had  no  national  favor, 
existed  nowhere  on  the  national  territory,  be- 
neath the  national  flag,  but  was  openly  con- 
demned, by  nation,  church,  colleges,  and  litera- 
ture of  the  time,  —  and  finally,  that  according  to 
an  amendment  of  the  Constitution,  the  national 
government  can  exercise  only  powers  delegated 
to  it,  among  which  is  none  to  support  slavery, 
—  considering  these  things,  sir,  it  is  impossible 
to  avoid  the  single  conclusion  that  slavery  is 
in  no  respect  a  national  institution,  and  that 
the  Constitution  nowhere  upholds  property  in 
man." 

Mr.  Sumner  thus  characterized  the  Fugitive 
Slave  Act  of  1850 :  u  Oppression  by  an  individual 
is  detestable ;  but  oppression  by  law  is  worse. 
Hard  and  inscrutable,  when  the  law,  to  which  the 
citizen  naturally  looks  for  protection,  becomes 


204        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

itself  a  standing  peril.  As  the  sword  takes  the 
place  of  the  shield,  despair  settles  down  like  a 
cloud.  .  .  . 

"  With  every  attempt  to  administer  the  Slave 
Act,  it  constantly  becomes  more  revolting,  partic- 
ularly in  its  influence  on  the  agents  it  enlists. 
The  spirit  of  the  law  passes  into  them,  as  the 
devils  entered  the  swine.  Upstart  commissioners, 
mere  mushrooms  of  courts,  vie  and  re -vie  with 
each  other.  Now  by  indecent  speed,  now  by 
harshness  of  manner,  now  by  denial  of  evidence, 
now  by  crippling  the  defence,  and  now  by  open, 
glaring  wrong,  they  make  the  odious  Act  yet 
more  odious.  Clemency,  grace,  and  justice  die  in 
its  presence.  All  this  is  observed  by  the  world. 
Not  a  case  occurs  which  does  not  harrow  the 
souls  of  good  men,  bringing  tears  of  sympathy  to 
the  eyes,  and  those  other  noble  tears  which 
'.  patriots  shed  over  dying  laws.'  " 

The  heroism  that  shows  itself  in  efforts  to  re- 
gain lost  freedom  is  thus  strikingly  described: 
"  Less  by  genius  or  eminent  service  than  by  suf- 
fering are  the  fugitive  slaves  of  our  country  now 
commended.  For  them  every  sentiment  of  hu- 
manity is  aroused. 


LIFE   OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.  205 

'  "Who  could  refrain, 

That  had  a  heart  to  love,  and  in  that  heart 
Courage  to  make  his  love  known  ? ' 

Rude  and  ignorant  they  may  be,  but  in  their 
very  efforts  for  freedom  they  claim  kindred 
with  all  that  is  noble  in  the  past.  Romance  has 
no  stories  of  more  thrilling  interest.  Classical 
antiquity  has  preserved  no  examples  of  adventure 
and  trial  more  worthy  of  renown.  They  are 
among  the  heroes  of  our  age.  Among  them  are 
those  whose  names  will  be  treasured  in  the  an- 
nals of  their  race.  By  eloquent  voice  they  have 
done  much  to  make  their  wrongs  known,  and  to 
secure  the  respect  of  the  world.  History  will 
soon  lend  her  avenging  pen.  Proscribed  by 
you  during  life,  they  will  proscribe  you  through 
all  time.  Sir,  already  judgment  is  beginning.  A 
righteous  public  sentiment  palsies  your  enact- 
ment." 

The  speech  was  followed  by  a  debate,  in  which 
nineteen  senators,  from  eighteen  different  States, 
took  part ;  all  in  opposition  to  Mr.  Sumner's 
amendment,  except  Mr.  Chase,  of  Ohio,  and  Mr. 
Hale,  of  New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Seward  was  ab- 
sent. Senators  from  nine  Free  States  were  among 


•206  LIFE   OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

the  opponents.  Three  Southern  senators  indulged 
in  personalities.  Mr.  Chase,  afterwards  the  hon- 
ored secretary  of  the  treasury  during  the  civil 
war,  and  yet  later,  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  said, "  In  my  judgment 
the  speech  of  my  friend  from  Massachusetts  will 
mark  AN  ERA  in  American  history."  Henry  Wil- 
son, afterwards,  for  so  many  years,  his  co-agita- 
tor in  the  national  Senate,  and  always  his  friend 
and  able  supporter,  Wendell  Phillips,  Stephen  C. 
Phillips,  and  many  others,  wrote  to  Mr.  Sumner  in 
a  similar  strain. 

The  vote  which  followed  the  debate  tells  the 
sad  tale  of  a  Senate  sold  to  •  slavery.  On  Mr. 
Sumner 's  amendment :  Yeas,  4  ;  nays,  47.  The 
four  were  Messrs.  Chase,  Hale,  Wade,  and  Sum- 
ner. 

But  that  small  vote  did  not  tell  the  whole  story. 
The  truth  had  had  a  hearing.  Moreover,  it  had 
awakened  the  consciences,  and  touched  the 
deeper,  better  feelings  of  some  of  the  Southern 
auditors. 

A  letter  written  to  Rev.  Dr.  Stebbins,  about 
two  months  later,  gives  us  a  very  interesting  in- 
sight into  Mr.  Sumner's  feelings  at  this  time,  and 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        207 

also  shows  the  happy  effect  of  his  speech,  even 
upon  slaveholders :  — 

"NEWPORT,  E.  I.,  October  12,  '52. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  :  I  cannot  receive  the  overflow- 
ing sympathy  of  your  letter  without  a  response. 
It  has  added  to  my  happiness.  The  interest  you 
express  in  that  speech,  and  particularly  in  the 
latter  part  of  it,  emboldens  me  to  write  of  it  more 
freely  than  I  have  before. 

"  I  went  to  the  Senate  determined  to  do  my 
duty,  but  in  my  own  way.  Anxious  for  the  cause, 
having  it  always  in  mind,  I  knew  that  I  could  not 
fail  in  loyalty,  though  I  might  err  in  judgment. 
All  my  instincts  prompted  delay.  But  meanwhile 
I  was  taunted  and  attacked  at  home.  Had  I  been 
less  conscious  of  the  rectitude  of  my  course,  I 
might  have  sunk  under  these  words.  But  I  per- 
severed in  my  own  way. 

"  As  I  delivered  the  part  to  which  you  refer,  I 
remember  well  the  intent  looks  of  the  Senate,  and 
particularly  of  Mr.  King  [president,  pro  tern.,  of 
the  Senate].  It  was  already  dinner  time,  but  all 
were  silent  and  'attentive,  and  Hale  [John  P. 
Hale,  of  N.  H.]  tells  me  that  Mr.  Underwood,  of 
Kentucky,  by  his  side,  was  in  tears. 

"  From  many  leading  Southern  men  I  have  re- 
ceived the  strongest  expressions  of  interest  awa- 
kened in  our  cause,  and  a  confession  that  they  did 


208  LIFE  OP   CHARLES  SUMtfER. 

not  know  before  the  strength  of  the  argument  on 
our  side.  Polk,  of  Tennessee,  said  to  me, '  If  you 
should  make  that  speech  in  Tennessee,  you  would 
compel  me  to  emancipate  my  niggers/  But 
enough  of  this.  I  have  been  tempted  to  it  by  the 
generosity  of  your  letter. 

"  Thankfully  and  truly  yours, 

"CHARLES  SUMNER." 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        209 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Return  to  Massachusetts.  —  Warm  Welcome.  — 
Speech  at  Lowell.  —  Free  Soil  Party.  —  Superin- 
tendents of  Armories.  —  Convention  to  revise  the 
Constitution  of  Massachusetts. —  Colored  Mili- 
tia. —  The  Representative  System.  — ^Nebraska 
and  Kansas.  —  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  —  Mr. 
Sumner's  Speech.  —  Final  Protest. 

MR.  SUMNER,  on  his  return  to  Massachusetts,  at 
the  close  of  the  session,  was  warmly  welcomed 
by  the  friends  of  freedom.  He  had  done  his  duty 
well,  under  circumstances  of  the  most  trying 
character.  Where  others  had  failed,  he  had  not. 
At  the  State  Convention  of  the  Free  Soil  party, 
held  in  Lowell,  September  15,  1852,  presided 
over  by  Stephen  C.  Phillips,  of  Salem,  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  was  .received  with  much  enthusiasm. 

"  After  an  absence,"  he  said,  "  of  many  months, 
I  have  now  come  home  to  breathe  anew  the  in- 
vigorating Northern  air,  to  tread  again  the  free 
14 


210        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

soil  of  our  native  Massachusetts,  and  to  enjoy  the 
sympathy  of  friends  and  fellow-citizens.  But, 
while  glad  in  your  greetings,  thus  bounteously 
lavished,  I  cannot  accept  them  for  myself.  I  do 
not  deserve  them.  They  belong  to  the  cause 
which  we- all  have  at  heart,  and  which  binds  us 
together.  ...  I  have  done  nothing  but  my  duty." 

Farther  on  he  said,  "  At  the  present  time  in 
our  country,  there  exists  a  deep,  controlling,  con- 
scientious feeling  against  slavery.  .  .  .  The  rising 
public  opinion  cannot  flow  in  the  old  political  chan- 
nels. It  is  impeded,  choked,  and  dammed  back. 
But  if  not  through  the  old  parties,  then  over  the 
old  parties,  this  irresistible  current  shall  find  its 
way.  It  cannot  be  permanently  stopped.  If  the 
old  parties  will  not  become  its  organs,  they  must 
become  its  victims.  The  party  of  Freedom  will 
certainly  prevail.  It  may  be  by  entering  into  and 
possessing  one  of  the  old  parties,  filling  it  with 
our  own  strong  life  ;  or  it  may  be  by  drawing  to 
itself  the  good  and  true  from  both,  who  are  un- 
willing to  continue  in  a  political  combination  when 
it  ceases  to  represent  their  convictions ;  but,  in 
one  way  or  the  other,  its  ultimate  triumph  is  sure. 

"  At  this  moment  we  are  in  a  minority.    At  the 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        211 

last  popular  election  in  Massachusetts  there  were 
twenty-eight  thousand  Free  Soilers,  forty-three 
thousand  Democrats,  and  sixty-four  thousand 
Whigs.  But  this  is  no  reason  for  discouragement. 
According  to  recent  estimates,  the  population  of 
the  whole  world  amounts  to  about  eight  hundred 
millions.  Of  these,  only  two  hundred  and  sixty 
millions  are  Christians,  while  the  remaining  five 
hundred  and  forty  millions  are  mainly  Mahome- 
tans, Brahmins,  and  idolaters.  Because  the  Chris- 
tians are  in  this  minority,  that  is  no  reason  for 
renouncing  Christianity,  and  for  surrendering  to 
the  false  religions ;  nor  do  we  doubt  that  Chris- 
tianity will  yet  prevail  over  the  whole  earth,  as 
the  waters  cover  the  sea.  The  friends  of  free- 
dom in  Massachusetts  are  likewise  in  a  minority ; 
but  they  will  not,  therefore,  renounce  freedom, 
nor  surrender  to  the  political  Mahometans,  Brah- 
mins, and  idolaters  of  Baltimore ;  nor  can  they 
doubt  that  their  cause,  like  Christianity,  will  yet 
prevail." 

Then,  referring  to  the  candidates  of  the  party, 
he  added,  ft  With  such  a  cause  and  such  candi. 
dates,  no  man  can  be  disheartened.  The  tempest 
may  blow,  —  but  ours  is  a  life-boat,  not  to  be 


212  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

harmed  by  wind  or  wave.  The  Genius  of  Liberty 
sits  at  the  helm.  I  hear  her  voice  of  cheer  say- 
ing, '  Whoso  sails  with  me  comes  to  shore.' ' 

On  his  return  to  the  Senate,  next  year,  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  made  some  remarks  in  favor  of  employing  civil 
instead  of  military  superintendents  of  armories. 
Here  his  peace  principles  came  out  —  another, 
though  slight,  example  of  his  remarkable  consist- 
ency. "  I  do  affirm  confidently,"  he  said,  "  that  the 
genius  of  our  institutions  favors  civil  life  rather 
than  military  life, —  and  that,  in  harmony  with  this, 
it  is  our  duty,  whenever  the  public  interests  will 
permit,  to  limit  and  restrict  the  sphere  of  military 
influence.  This  is  not  a  military  monarchy,  where 
the  soldier  is  supreme,  but  a  republic,  where  the 
soldier  yields  to  the  civilian.  .  .  . 

u  The  idea  which  has  fallen  from  so  many  sen- 
ators, that  the  superintendent  of  an  armory  ought 
to  be  a  military  man,  .  ,  .  seems  to  me  to  be  as 
illogical  as  the  jocular  fallacy  of  Dr.  Johnson,  that 
he  '  who  drives  fat  oxen  should  himself  be  fat.'  ' 

Mr.  Sumner  was  a  member  of  the  convention 
which  met  in  1853  to  revise  and  amend  the  con- 
stitution of  Massachusetts,  He  was  an  able  and 
influential  member.  Among  other  resolutions 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        213 

which  he  advocated  was  the  following :  "  That 
in  the  organization  of  the  volunteer  military  com- 
panies of  the  Commonwealth  there  shall  be  no 
distinction  of  color  or  race.'7 

He  also  spoke  on  the  representative  system 
and  its  proper  basis,  and  on  bills  of  rights  —  their 
history  and  policy. 

On  the  former  topic  he  said,  "  This  is  an  in- 
vention of  modern  times.  In  antiquity  there 
were  republics  and  democracies,  but  there  was  no 
representative  system.  Rulers  were  chosen  by 
the  people,  as  in  many  commonwealths ;  senators 
were  designated  by  the  king  or  by  the  censors, 
as  in  Rome  ;  ambassadors  or  legates  were  sent  to 
a  federal  council,  as  to  the  Assembly  of  the  Am- 
phictyons ;  but  in  no  ancient  state  was  any  body 
of  men  ever  constituted  by  the  people  to  repre- 
sent them  in  the  administration  of  their  internal 
affairs.  In  Athens,  the  people  met  in  public  as- 
sembly, and  directly  acted  for  themselves  on  all 
questions,  foreign  or  domestic.  This  was  possi- 
ble there,  as  the  state  was  small,  and  the  Assem- 
bly seldom  exceeded  five  thousand  citizens,  —  a 
large  town-meeting,  or  mass-meeting,  we  might 
call  it,  —  not  inaptly  termed  '  that  fierce  democ- 
ratie  '  of  Athens." 


214        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

After  alluding  to  the  representative  system 
as  it  exists  in  England,  Mr.  Sunmer  said,  that  "  to 
our  country  belongs  the  honor  of  first  giving  to 
the  world  the  idea  of  a  system  which,  discarding 
corporate  representation  [as  in  England],  founded 
itself  absolutely  on  equality."  The  American 
system,  as  distinguished  from  the  English,  is  the 
applying  the  rule  of  three  to  representation  —  a 
representation  not  according  to  property,  not 
according  to  territory,  not  according  to  any  cor- 
porate rights,  but  of  persons,  according  to  their  re- 
spective numbers.  "  It  gives  to  the  great  princi- 
ple of  human  equality  a  new  expansion  and  ap- 
plication. It  makes  all  men,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  electoral  franchise,  whatever  their  diversi- 
ties of  intelligence,  education,  or  wealth,  or  where- 
soever they  may  be  within  the  borders  of  the 
commonwealth,  whether  in  small  town  or  popu- 
lous city,  absolutely  equal  at  the  ballot-box." 

"  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  district  system, 
whereby  the  representative  power  will  be  dis- 
tributed in  just  proportion,  according  to  the  rule 
of  three,  among  the  voters  of  the  Commonwealth, 
is  the  true  system,  destined  at  no  distant  day  to 
prevail." 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        215 

In  this  connection  Mr.  Simmer  said,  "  No  law- 
giver or  statesman  can  disregard  either  history 
or  abstract  reason.  He  must  contemplate  both. 
He  will  faithfully  study  the  Past,  and  will  recog- 
nize its  treasures  and  traditions  ;  but,  with  equal 
fidelity,  he  will  set  his  face  towards  the  Future, 
where  all  institutions  will  at  last  be  in  harmony 
with  truth." 

Mr.  Sumner's  return  to  his  seat  in  1853  was 
signalized  by  a  new  and  more  audacious  stage  in 
the  pro- slavery  movement.  Disappointed  in  Cali- 
fornia, the  South  was  looking  about  for  the  means 
of  extending  the  area  of  slavery  even  into  re- 
gions from  which  it  had  been  forever  excluded 
by  solemn  compact.  Thus  originated  the  great 
struggle  about  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  New 
States  were  soon  to  be  formed  out  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  Nebraska,  lying  north  of  thirty-six  degrees 
thirty  minutes  north  latitude.  The  slave  power 
coveted  this  fertile  region  —  this  garden  of 
Naboth. 

A  Northern  man,  a  native  of  free  New  Eng- 
land, Stephen  A.  Douglas,  senator  from  Illinois, 
was  the  chief  .instrument  in  the  perpetration  of 
the  great  crime  which  soon  followed.  He  sub- 


216        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

mitted  a  bill,  dividing  the  Territory  into  two, 
Nebraska  and  Kansas,  and  declaring  the  prohibi- 
tion of  slavery  contained  in  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise of  1820  "inconsistent  with  the  principles 
of  non-intervention  by  Congress  with  slavery  in 
the  States  and  Territories,  as  recognized  by  the 
legislation  of  1850,  commonly  called  the  Com- 
promise Measures." 

According  to  this  bill,  Congress  was  not  to 
legislate  slavery  into,  nor  exclude  it  from,  any 
Territory  or  State,  but  to  leave  the  people  thereof 
perfectly  free  to  form  and  regulate  their  domestic 
institutions  in  their  own  way,  subject  only  to  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States.  This  was  just 
what  was  wanted  by  the  South  —  a  chance  to 
carry  slavery  into  all  the  new  Territories. 

Mr.  Sumner  spoke  most  earnestly  against  the 
repeal  of  the  Missouri  prohibition  of  slavery, 
taking  for  his  motto,  "  Cursed  be  he  that  re- 
moveth  his  neighbor's  landmark,  and  all  the  pea- 
pie  shall  say,  Amen."  The  last  words  were  em- 
phasized by  Mr.  Sumner  in  the  printed  speech, 
indicating  his  remarkable,  unwavering  faith  in 
the  triumph  of  Right. 

These  were  his  opening  words :  — 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        217 

"  I  approach  this  discussion  with  awe.  The 
mighty  question,  with  untold  issues,  oppresses 
me.  Like  a  portentous  cloud  surcharged  with 
irresistible  storm  and  ruin,  it  seems  to  fill  the 
whole  heavens,  making  me  painfully  conscious 
how  unequal  to  the  occasion  I  am  —  how  unequal, 
also,  is  all  that  I  can  say  to  all  that  I  feel. 

"  The  question  for  your  consideration  .  .  .  con- 
cerns an  immense  region,  larger  than  the  original 
thirteen  States,  vying  in  extent  with  all  the  exist- 
ing Free  States,  —  stretching  over  prairie,  field, 
and  forest,  —  interlaced  by  silver  streams,  skirted 
by  protecting  mountains,  and  constituting  the 
heart  of  the  North  American  continent  —  only  a 
little  smaller,  let  me  add,  than  three  great  European 
countries  combined,  —  Italy,  Spain,  and  France, 
—  each  of  which,  in  succession,  has  dominated 
over  the  globe.  This  territory  has  been"  likened, 
on  this  floor,  to  the  garden  of  God.  .  .  .  The  bill 
now  before  us  proposes  to  organize  and  equip 
two  new  territorial  establishments,  with  govern- 
ors, secretaries,  legislatures,  councils,  legislators, 
judges,  marshals,  and  the  whole  machinery  of 
civil  society.  Such  a  measure  at  any  time  would 
deserve  the  most  careful  attention.  But  at  the 


218        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

present  moment  it  justly  excites  peculiar  interest, 
from  the  effort  made  ...  to  open  this  immense 
region  to  slavery." 

Mr.  Sumner  arraigned  this  bill  on  two  grounds : 
"  First,  in  the  name  of  public  faith,  as  an  infrac- 
tion of  solemn  obligations.  .  .  .  Secondly,  in  the 
name  of  freedom,  as  an  unjustifiable  departure 
from  the  original  anti-slavery  policy  of  our 
fathers."  He  showed  that  Southern  members 
urged  the  compromise  of  1820,  and  that  it  passed 
both  Houses  without  a  division.  It  was  as  much 
a  Southern  as  a  Northern  measure.  It  was  ap- 
proved by  John  C.  Calhoun  and  other  Southern 
members  of  Monroe's  cabinet.  Mr.  Sumner  would 
have  the  South  keep  the  compact. 

To  the  argument  that  this  proposition  was  a 
measure  of  peace,  he  replied,  "  Peace  depends  on 
mutual  confidence.  It  can  never  rest  secure 
on  broken  faith  and  injustice ; "  and  he  added, 
"  Amidst  all  seeming  discouragements,  the  great 
omens  are  with  us.  Art,  literature,  poetry,  re- 
ligion, everything  which  elevates  man,  are  all  on 
our  side.  The  plough,  the  steam  engine,  the 
telegraph,  the  book,  every  human  improvement, 
every  generous  word  anywhere,  every  true  pulsa- 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNEE.        219 

tion  of  every  heart  which  is  not  a  mere  muscle 
and  nothing  else,  gives  new  encouragement  to 
the  warfare  with  slavery.  The  discussion  will 
proceed.  ...  No  political  Joshua  now,  with 
miraculous  power,  can  stop  the  sun  in  its  course 
through  the  heavens.  It  is  even  now  rejoicing, 
like  a  strong  man,  to  run  its  race,  and  will  yet 
send  its  beams  into  the  most  distant  plantations, 
melting  the  chains  of  every  slave."  And  this, 
nearly  ten  years  before  emancipation,  when 
slavery  seemed  bent  on  yet  new  conquests ! 

.To  the  objection  that  the  movement  against 
slavery  was  dangerous  to  the  Union,  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  replied,  that  in  freedom  only  true  union  could 
exist,  and  that  in  the  abolition  of  slavery  the 
North  and  the  South  would  hereafter  be  bound 
more  closely  together.  In  this  connection  he 
quoted  from  Shakespeare  the.  remarkable  dia- 
logue between  Brutus  and  Cassius,  in  which 
Brutus  might  be  considered  as  representing  the 
North,  Cassius  the  South :  — 

"  Cas.  Urge  me  no  more ;  I  shall  forget  myself. 
Have  mind  upon  your  health ;  tempt  me  no  farther. 

Brut.  Hear  me,  for  I  will  speak. 

Must  I  give  way  and  room  to  your  rash  choler  ? 


220        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  8UMNER. 

Cas.  O  ye  gods !  ye  gods !  must  I  endure  all  this  ? 

Brut.  All  this  ?    Ay,  more ;  fret  till  your  proud  heartbreak ; 
Go,  show  your  slaves  how  choleric  you  are, 
And  make  your  bondmen  tremble.    Must  I  budge  ? 
Must  I  observe  you  ?    Must  I  stand  and  crouch 
Under  your  testy  humor  ? 

Cas.  Do  not  presume  too  much  upon  my  love ; 
I  may  do  that  I  shall  be  sorry  for. 

Brut.   You  have  done  that  you  should  be  sorry  for. 
There  is  no  terror,  Cassius,  in  your  threats ; 
For  I  am  armed  so  strong  in  honesty, 
That  they  pass  by  me  as  the  idle  wind, 
Which  I  respect  not. 

Cas.  A  friend  should  bear  his  friend's  infirmities, 
But  Brutus  makes  mine  greater  than  they  are. 
Brut.  I  do  not,  TILL  YOU  PRACTISE  THEM  ON  ME. 
Cas.  You  love  me  not. 
Brut.  I  do  not  like  your  faults." 

All  which  ends  at  last  in  united  heart  and  hand. 
So  would  it  be  if  slavery  should  disappear. 

Three  months  later,  May  25,  1854,  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  uttered  his  last  protest  against  the  infamous 
bill,  and  against  slavery  in  Nebraska  and  Kansas. 
It  was  at  the  final  passage.  At  midnight,  Mr. 
Sunnier  offered  numerous  remonstrances  against 
the  bill  from  different  parts  of  the  country,  chiefly 
from  New  England,  and  then  spoke  briefly,  but 
most  eloquently.  Among  other  things,  he  said,  — 

"  In  passing  such  a  bill  as  is  now  threatened, 
you  scatter,  from  this  dark  midnight  hour,  no 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        221 

seeds  of  harmony  and  good-will,  but,  broadcast 
through  the  land,  dragon's  teeth,  which  haply 
may  not  spring  up  in  direful  crops  of  armed  men, 
yet,  I  am  assured,  sir,  will  fructify  in  civil  strife 
and  feud.  From  the  depths  of  my  soul,  as  loyal 
citizen  and  as  senator,  I  plead,  remonstrate,  pro- 
test against  the  passage  of  this  bill.  I  struggle 
against  it  as  against  death ;  but,  as  in  death  itself 
corruption  puts  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal 
body  puts  on  immortality,  so  from  the  sting  of 
this  hour  I  find  assurance  of  that  triumph  by  which 
freedom  will  be  restored  to  her  immortal  birthright 
in  the  Republic. 

"  Sir,  the  bill  you  are  about  to  pass  is  at  once 
the  worst  and  the  best  on  which  Congress  ever 
acted.  Yes,  sir,  WORST  and  BEST  at  the  same 
time< 

"  It  is  the  worst  bill,  inasmuch  as  it  is  a  present 
victory  of  slavery.  In  a  Christian  land,  and  in 
an  age  of  civilization,  a  time-honored  statute  of 
freedom  is  struck  down,  opening  the  way  to  all 
the  countless  woes  and  wrongs  of  human  bon- 
dage. Among  the  crimes  of  history,  another  is 
soon  to  be  recorded,  which  no  tears  can  blot  out, 
and  which  in  better  days  will  be  read  w.ith  uni- 


222        LIFE  OP  CHABLES  SUMNER. 

versal  shame.  .  .  .  There  is  another  side,  to 
which  I  gladly  turn.  Sir,  it  is  the  best  bill  on 
•which  Congress  ever  acted,  for  it  annuls  all  past 
compromises  with  slavery,  and  makes  any  future 
compromises  impossible.  Thus  it  puts  Freedom 
and  Slavery  face  to  face,  and  bids  them  grapple. 
Who  can  doubt  the  result  ?  It  opens  wide  the 
door  of  the  Future,  when,  at  last,  there  will  really 
be  a  North,  and  the  slave  power  will  be  broken, 

—  when  their  wretched  despotism  will  cease  to 
dominate   over   our  government,  no  longer  im- 
pressing itself  upon   everything   at  .home   and 
abroad.  .  .  .  Then,   sir,   standing    at    the    very 
grave  of  Freedom  in  Nebraska  and  Kansas,  I  lift 
myself  to  the  vision  of  that  happy  resurrection 
by  which  freedom  will  be  assured,  not  only  in 
these    Territories,  but  everywhere    under    the 
national   government.     More    clearly   than   ever 
before,  I  now  penetrate  that  great  Future  when 
slavery  must  disappear.     Proudly  I  discern  the 
flag  of  my  country,  as  it  ripples  in  every  breeze, 
at  last,  in  reality  as  in  name,  the  Flag  of  Freedom, 

—  undoubted,  pure,  and  irresistible.     Am  I  not 
right,  then,  in  calling  this  bill  the  best  on  which 
Congress  ever  acted  ? 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE.        223 

"  Sorrowfully  I  bend  before  the  'wrong  you 
commit.  Joyfully  I  welcome  the  promise  of  the 
Future." 

It  was  with  reference  to  this  iniquitous  bill  that 
Horace  Mann  wrote  to  Mr.  Sumner,  — 

"  I  cannot  describe  my  feelings  to  you  on  the 
Nebraska  Bill.  I  seem  like  one  who  is  dragged 
by  fiery  devils  or  Douglases  —  it  don't  matter 
which  —  into  Tophet,  from  which,  for  the  next  five 
hundred  years,  I  see  no  escape.  It  is  a  case  of 
desperation.  It  so  encompasses  me  about,  that 
nothing  but  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God  seems 
capable  of  reaching  outside  of  it.  Have  you  any 
hope?" 


224        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Anthony  Burns.  —  Meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall.  —  Dr. 
Howe.  —  Wendell  Phillips.  —  Theodore  Par- 
ker. —  The  Court  House  assailed.  —  A  Man 
killed.  —  The  Military  called  out.  —  The  Ex- 
amination. —  Attempt  to  pur  chase  Burns.  —  The 
Trial  proceeds.  —  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Dana.  — 
Sims  surrendered  to  his  "  Master."  —  Scene  in 
State  Street.  —  Mr.  Sumner's  Speech.  —  He- 
monstrances  against  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act.  — 
Mr.  Sumner's  Life  in  Danger.  —  Lines  by  Mr. 
Whittier. 

WHILE 'Mr.  Sumner  was  thus  thundering  at  the 
slave  power  in  the  Senate,  the  slave,  power  was 
busy  in  Boston  in  carrying  out  one  part  of  its 
horrible  programme. 

Anthony  Burns,  a  fugitive  from  Virginia,  had 
been  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Pitts,  a  colored  citizen 
of  Boston,  about  three  weeks,  when,  one  evening 
—  May  24,  1854 — just  after  closing  the  shop,  he 
was  arrested  on  a  warrant  from  the  United  States 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        225 

Commissioner.  He  was  taken  to  an  upper  room  in 
the  Court  House,  —  now  become  the  United  States 
slave-pen,  —  where  he  was  kept  for  the  night 
under  a  strong  guard  of  officers.  "  He  seemed 
stunned  and  stupefied  by  fear.7' 

The  next  day,  the  25th,  he  was  brought  before 
the  commissioner  for  trial.  Richard  H.  Dana,  Jr., 
Charles  M.  Ellis,  and  Robert  Morris  volunteered 
to  be  his  counsel.  At  their  solicitation,  the  case 
was  adjourned  to  Saturday. 

The  excitement  was  now  intense  throughout 
the  city  and  the  state,  both  among  the  abolition- 
ists and  their  enemies.  On  Friday  evening  an 
immense  concourse  of  people  filled  Faneuil  Hall, 
at  the  call  of  leading  abolitionists.  Among  the 
officers  were  such  men  as  William  B.  Spooner, 
Francis  Jackson,  Samuel  G.  Howe,  Timothy  Gil- 
bert, F.  W.  Bird,  Rev.  Mr.  Grimes,  and  T.  W. 
Higginson. 

Dr.  Howe  said,  "  Nothing  so  well  becomes 
Faneuil  Hall  as  the  most  determined  resistance 
to  a  bloody  and  overshadowing  despotism.  It  is 
the  will  of  God  that  every  man  should  be  free ; 
we  will  as  God  wills  —  God's  will  be  done.  No 
man's  freedom  is  safe  unless  all  men  are  free." 
16 


226        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

Wendell  Phillips  said,  "  I  am  against  squatter 
sovereignty  in  Nebraska,  and  against  kidnapper's 
sovereignty  in  Boston.  .  .  .  When  Burns  comes 
up  for  trial,  get  a  sight  at  him,  and  don't  lose 
sight  of  him.  There  is  nothing  like  the  mute  elo- 
quence of  a  suffering  man  to  urge  to  duty ;  be 
there,  and  I  will  trust  the  result." 

Theodore  Parker  proposed  that,  when  the 
meeting  adjourn,  it  do  so  to  meet  in  Court  Square 
the  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock.  "It  was  in 
the  people's  power  so  to  block  up  every  avenue 
that  the  man  could  not  be  carried  off." 

Mr.  Parker  and  Mr.  Phillips  counselled  no  at- 
tempt at  a  rescue  till  the  next  day. 

But,  it  being  reported  that  a  company  of  col- 
ored persons  were  attempting  Burns's  rescue  in 
Court  Square,  most  of  the  audience  made  their 
way  to  that  place.  The  Court  House  was  being 
vigorously  assaulted,  and  a  door  was  battered 
down,  while  the  cry  arose,  "  Rescue  him ! " 
"  Bring  him  out !  "  During  the  melee  a  man 
named  Batchelder,  who  had  volunteered  in  be- 
half of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act,  was  killed. 

The  police  being  found  unequal  to  the  emer- 
gency, the  authorities  ordered*  out  two  companies 
.  of  artillery,  who  arrived  at  midnight. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.       227 

The  next  morning,  two  corps  of  United  States 
Marines  were  quartered  within  the  walls  of  the 
Court  House.  Three  city  companies  received  or- 
ders from  the  major  general  of  the  State  militia 
to  be  in  readiness. 

Saturday  morning  the  examination  was  re- 
sumed. The  prisoner  was  brought  in  under 
strong  guard.  His  counsel  urged  further  delay, 
which  was  granted. 

Meanwhile  the  friends  of  Burns  sought  his  lib- 
eration by  purchase,  and  twelve  hundred  dollars, 
the  price  demanded  by  Suttle,  were  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Rev.  Mr.  Grimes,  pastor  of  the  Second 
Colored  Baptist  ChurcK.  So  confident  were  they 
of  success,  that  on  Sunday  morning  a  carriage 
was  at  the  door  of  the  Court  House,  to  take 
Burns  away.  But  it  was  decided  to  detain  him 
till  the  next  day.  Suttle  afterwards  refused  to 
seH. 

Sunday  was  an  anxious  day  in  Boston.  Theo- 
dore Parker,  in  Music  Hall,  said,  "  I  understand 
there  are  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  marines 
lodged  in  the  Court  House,  every  man  of  them 
furnished  with  a  musket  and  a  bayonet,  with  his 
side-arms  and  twenty-four  ball  cartridges.  .  .  . 


228        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Look  at  Boston  to-day.  There  are  no  chains 
around  your  Court  House  —  there  are  ropes 
around  it.  A  hundred  and  eighty-four  United 
States  soldiers  are  there.  They  are,  I  am  told, 
mostly  foreigners  —  the  scum  of  the  earth." 

On  Monday,  the  29th,  the  trial  was  renewed. 
Mr.  Ellis  made  the  opening  argument.  Address- 
ing the  commissioner,  he  said,  — 

"Sir,  you  sit  here  judge  and  jury  betwixt 
that  man  and  slavery.  Without  a  commission, 
without  any  accountability,  without  any  right  of 
challenge,  you  sit  to  render  a  judgment,  which,  if 
against  him,  no  tribunal  can  review  and  no  court 
reverse." 

Referring  to  the  claimants,  he  said,  "  I  wish 
to  look  the  men  in  the  eye  who  dare  to  come  here, 
with  pistols  in  their  pockets,  to  ask  us  to  meet  a 
case  with  our  opposing  counsel  armed,  hemmed 
in  with  armed  men,  entering  court  with  muskets 
at  our  breasts,  trying  a  case  under  the  muzzles  of 
their  guns.  I  choose  to  ask  these  men,  face  to 
face,  by  what  show  of  right  they  speak  of  law 
and  justice." 

On  Wednesday,  Mr.  Dana  made  his  argument 
in  the  defence.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Joshua 


LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNER.        229 

R.  Giddings,  member  of  Congress  from  Ohio,  an 
indomitable  champion  of  freedom,  was  among  the 
spectators. 

Mr.  Dana  made  a  sarcastic  reference  to  the 
remarkable  peace  enjoyed-  in  Boston  since  the 
arrest  of  Burns,  because  of  the  posse  of  specials, 
gathered  from  the  purlieus  of  the  city  by  the 
.marshal :  — 

"  Why,  sir,  people  have  not  felt  it  necessary  to 
lock  their  doors  at  night ;  the  brothels  are  ten- 
anted only  by  women  ;  fighting-dogs  and  racing- 
horses  have  been  unemployed,  and  Ann  Street 
and  its  alleys  and  cellars  show  signs  of  a  coming 
millennium." 

Alluding  to  the  statement  made  by  Brent,  a 
witness  from  Virginia,  that  Burns  had  expressed 
a  willingness  to  return  with  Suttle,  Mr.  Dana 
said,  — 

"  If  he  was  willing  to  go  back,  why  did  they 
not  send  to  Pitts's  shop,  and  tell  the  prisoner  that 
Colonel  Suttle  was  at  the  Revere  House,  and 
would  give  him  an  opportunity  to  return  ?  No, 
sir,  they  lurked  about  the  thievish  corners  of  the 
streets,  and  measured  his  height  and  his  scars,  to 
see  if  they  answered  to  the  record,  and  seized 


230        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

him  by  fraud  and  violence,  six  men  of  uhem,  and 
hurried  him  into  bonds  and  imprisonment.  Some 
one  hundred  hired  men,  armed,  keep  him  in  this 
room,  where  once  Story  sat  in  judgment  —  now  a 
slave-pen.  One  hundred  and  fifty  bayonets  of 
the  regulars,  and  fifteen  hundred  of  the  militia, 
keep  him  without.  If  all  that  we  see  about  us  is 
necessary  to  keep  a  man  who  is  willing  to  go 
back,  pray,  sir,  what  shall  we  see  when  they 
shall  get  hold  of  a  man  who  is  not  willing  to  go 
back?" 

In  conclusion,  he  said  to  the  commissioner, 
"  You  recognized,  sir,  in  the  beginning,  the  pre- 
sumption of  freedom.  Hold  to  it  now,  sir,  as  to 
the  sheet-anchor  of  your  peace  of  mind  as  well 
as  of  his  safety.  If  you  commit  a  mistake  in 
favor  of  the  man,  a  pecuniary  value,  not  great,  is 
put  at  hazard.  If  against  him,  a  free  man  is 
made  a  slave  forever.  If  you  have,  on  the  evi- 
dence or  on  the  law,  the  doubt  of  a  reasoning  and 
reasonable  mind,  an  intelligent  misgiving,  then, 
sir,  I  implore  you,  in  view  of  the  cruel  character 
of  this  law,  in  view  of  the  dreadful  consequences 
of  a  mistake,  send  him  not  away,  with  that  tor- 
menting doubt  in  your  mind.  It  may  turn  to  a 
torturing  certainty." 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE.        231 

"  The  eyes  of  many  millions  are  upon  you,  sir. 
You  are  to  do  an  act  which  will  hold  its  place  in 
the  history  of  America,  in  the  history  of  the 
progress  of  the  human  race.  May  your  judg- 
ment be  for  liberty,  and  not  for  slavery ;  for  hap- 
piness, and  not  for  wretchedness ;  for  hope  and 
not  for  despair ;  and  may  be  the  blessing  of  him 
that  is  ready  to  perish  may  come  upon  you.'7 

The  commissioner  decided  that  Burns  was 
the  slave  of  Suttle,  and  should  be  given  up  to 
his  "  master." 

It  was  now  June  2,  ten  days  since  the  arrest. 
Burns  was  to  be  taken,  that  day,  on  board  the 
steamer  Jane  Taylor.  "The  police  cleared  the 
square,  and  guarded  the  entrances.  Early  in  the 
morning,  a  detachment  of  United  States  artillery 
marched  up  State  Street  with  a  field-piece  from 
the  Navy  Yard,  which  was  planted  in  Court 
Square.  Several  companies  of  the  State  militia 
were  in  readiness." 

From  different  offices  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Court  House  there  were  exhibited  "  signs  of 
woe."  Among  the  most  conspicuous  mourners 
at  the  tragic  scene  was  John  A.  Andrew,  after- 
wards the  "  war  governor "  of  Massachusetts, 


232        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

always  an  ardent  friend  of  Charles  Sumner.  The 
windows  of  his  office  were  festooned  in  black. 

After  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  stores 
on  State  Street  were  closed,  and  all  business 
suspended.  The  excitement  was  intense.  The 
streets  in  the  vicinity  were  crowded  with  peo- 
ple, thousands  having  come  from  neighboring 
towns,  all  anxious  to  witness  the  last  act  of  the 
tragedy.  From  the  Court  House  away  down 
State  Street,  a  passage  for  the  officers  of  justice 
with  their  unfortunate  victim,  was  guarded  by 
troops. 

At  length  the  melancholy  procession  began. 
It  passed  down  the  street  towards  Long  Wharf. 
A  rescue  was  impossible.  Among  the  throng 
who  gazed  upon  the  innocent  victim,  and  upon 
the  armed  men  who  were  there  to  prevent  his 
escape,  there  prevailed,  for  the  most  part,  the 
silence  of  a  smothered  indignation  —  an  indig- 
nation which,  from  that  hour,  with  very  many, 
was  to  take  the  shape  of  active  and  deadly  oppo- 
sition to  slavery.  Mr.  Sumner's  powerful  words 
in  Congress  were  feeble  in  comparison  with  the 
mute  eloquence  of  that  horrid  scene. 

What    Mr.    Sumner    thought    of   it    may  be 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        233 

learned  from  a  speech,  about  three  months  after 
its  occurrence,  before  the  Republican  State  Con- 
vention at  Worcester. 

"  Contemporaneously  with  the  final  triumph 
of  this  outrage  at  "Washington,  another  dismal 
tragedy  was  enacted  at  Boston.  In  those  streets 
where  he  had  walked  as  freeman,  Anthony  Burns 
was  seized  as  slave,  under  the  base  pretext  that 
he  was  a  criminal,  imprisoned  in  the  Court 
House,  which  was  turned  for  the  time  into 
fortress  and  barracoon,  guarded  by  heartless 
hirelings,  whose  chief  idea  of  liberty  was  li- 
cense to  wrong,  escorted  by  intrusive  soldiers 
of  the  United  States,  watched  by  a  prostituted 
militia,  and  finally  given  up  to  a  slave-hunter 
by  the  decree  of  a  petty  magistrate,  who  did 
not  hesitate  to  take  upon  his  soul  the  awful 
responsibility  of  dooming  a  fellow-man,  in  whom 
lie  could  find  no  fault,  to  a  fate  worse  than  death. 

"  How  all  this  was  accomplished  I  need  not 
now  relate.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that,  in  doing  this 
deed  of  woe  and  shame,  the  liberties  of  all  our 
citizens,  white  as  well  as  black,  were  put  in  jeop- 
ardy ;  the  mayor  of  Boston  was  converted  to  a 
tool,  the  governor  of  the  Commonwealth  to  a 


234        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

cipher,  the  laws,  the  precious  sentiments,  the  re- 
ligion, the  pride  and' glory  of  Massachusetts,  were 
trampled  in  the  dust,  and  you  and  I  and  all  of 
us  fell  down,  while  the  slave  power  flourished 
over  us." 

This  case,  says  Mr.  Greeley,  "  probably  excited 
more  feeling  than  that  of  any  other  alleged 
fugitive,  in  that  it  attained  unusual  publicity, 
and  took  place  in  New  England  after  the  North 
had  begun  to  feel  the  first  throbs  of  the  profound 
agitation  excited  by  the  repudiation  of  the  Mis- 
souri Compromise." 

In  Washington  it  awakened  the  deepest  feel- 
ing, and  intensified  the  hostility  to  Mr.  Sumner. 
The  death  of  Batchelder  was  falsely  attributed 
to  his  speech  of  the  24th.  Pro-slavery  papers 
in  Washington  published  the  most  insulting  and 
inflammatory  articles  against  him,  and  his  life  was 
in  imminent  peril.  His  friends  advised  him  to 
leave  the  city ;  but  he  would  not  abandon  his 
post,  nor  arm  himself,  nor  cease  his  daily  walk  to 
and  from  the  Capitol. 

Letters  came  in  from  different  parts  of  the 
country,  especially  from  New  England,  express- 
ing profound  sympathy  or  proffering  protection. 


LIFE  OP   CHARLES  SUMNEE.  235 

Mr.  Simmer  was  grateful  for  the  former,  but 
invariably  declined  the  latter.  He  knew  no  fear. 
He  was  doing  his  duty.  God  was  his  defence. 

Massachusetts  had  sent  a  man  back  to  slavery. 
Yet  not  Massachusetts.  The  act  did  not  repre- 
sent her  real  spirit.  That  soon  appeared  in  an 
aroused  and  indignant  public  sentiment.  Dur- 
ing the  very  month  in  which  Burns  was  returned 
to  slavery,  a  petition,  with  twenty-nine  hundred 
signatures,  was  forwarded  to  Congress,  praying 
for  the  repeal  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill. 

Speaking  on  the  petition,  Mr.  Sumner  said, 
with  reference  to  himself,  as  having  vehemently 
opposed  this  bill,  "  For  all  that  I  have  thus 
uttered  I  have  no  regret  or  apology,  but  rather 
joy  and  satisfaction.  Glad  I  am  in  having  said 
it ;  glad  I  am  now  in  the  opportunity  of  affirming 
it  all  anew." 

He  further  said,  "  It  is  true  that  the  Slave  Act 
was  with  difficulty  executed,  and  that  one  of  its 
servants  perished  in  the  madness.  On  these 
grounds  the  senator  from  Tennessee  charges 
Boston  with  fanaticism.  I  express  no  opinion 
on  the  conduct  of  individuals;  but  I  do  say, 
that  the  fanaticism  which  the  senator  condemns 


236        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

is  not  new  in  Boston.  It  is  the  same  which  op- 
posed the  execution  of  the  Stamp  Act,  and  finally 
secured  its  repeal.  It  is  the  same  which  re- 
pealed the  Tea  Tax.  It  is  the  fanaticism  which 
finally  triumphed  on  Bunker  Hill.  The  senator 
says  that  Boston  is  filled  with  traitors.  That 
charge  is  not  new.  Boston  of  old  was  the  home 
of  Hancock  and  Adams.  Her  traitors  now  are 
those  who  are  truly  animated  by  the  spirit  of  the 
American  Revolution.  In  condemning  them,  in 
condemning  Massachusetts,  in  condemning  these 
remonstrants,  you  simply  give  proper  conclusion 
to  the  utterance  on  this  floor,  that  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  is  a  '  self-evident  lie.7 ': 

This  was  June  26,  twenty-four  days  after  the 
rendition  of  Burns.  On  the  28th  Mr.  Sumner  re- 
plied to  his  assailants ;  for  his  speech  on  the  peti- 
tion had  been  assailed  with  brutal  and  vulgar 
violence.  Better  for  them  had  they  let  him  alone. 
They  roused  a  lion. 

"I  think,"  said  he,  referring  to  Mr.  Butler, 
from  South  Carolina,  and  Mr.  Mason,  from  Vir- 
ginia, who  had  been  particularly  virulent  and 
abusive,  —  "I  think  that  I  am  not  the  only  person 
on  this  floor,  who,  listening  to  these  two  self- 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER.        237 

confident  champions  of  that  peculiar  fanaticism 
of  the  South,  was  reminded  of  the  striking  words 
of  Jefferson,  picturing  the  influence  of  slavery, 
when  he  says, — 

" l  The  whole  commerce  between  master  and 
slave  is  a  perpetual  exercise  of  the  most  boister- 
ous, passions,  —  the  most  unremitting  despotism 
on  the  one  part,  and  degrading  submission  on  the 
other.  Our  children  see  this,  and  learn  to  imitate 
it ;  for  man  is  an  imitative  animal.  .  .  .  The  parent 
storms.  The  child  looks  on,  catches  the  linea- 
ments of  wrath,  puts  on  the  same  airs  in  the  circle 
of  smaller  slaves,  gives  a  loose  rein  to  the  worst 
of  passions,  and,  thus  nursed,  educated,  and  duly 
exercised  in  tyranny,  cannot  but  be  stamped  by 
it  with  odious  peculiarities.  The  man  must  be  a 
prodigy  who  can  retain  his  manners  and  morals 
undepraved  by  such  circumstances.'' 

11  Nobody,  who  witnessed  the  senator  from  South 
Carolina  or  the  senator  from  Virginia  in  this  de- 
bate, will  place  either  of  them  among  the  prodi- 
gies described  by  Jefferson.  As  they  spoke,  the 
Senate  Chamber  must  have  seemed  to  them,  in 
the  characteristic  fantasy  of  the  moment,  a  planta- 
tion well-stocked  with  slaves,  over  which  the  lash 
of  the  overseer  had  free  swing. 


238        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

"  Sir,  it  gives  me  no '  pleasure  to  say  these 
things.  It  is  not  according  to  my  nature.  Bear 
witness  that  I  do  it  only  in  just  self-defence  against 
the  unprecedented  assaults  and  provocations  of 
this  debate.  In  doing  it  I  desire  to  warn  certain 
senators,  that  if,  by  any  ardor  of  menace,  or  by 
any  tyrannical  frown,  they  expect  to  shake,  my 
fixed  resolve,  they  expect  a  vain  thing." 

Verily,  Massachusetts  was  not  now  exposing 
herself  to  the  humiliating  rebuke  which  a  slave  - 
holding  representative,  twenty-eight  years  be- 
fore, administered  to  a  member  of  the  House 
from  that  state,  who  had  said  of  slavery,  that 
"  while  it  subsists,  where  it  subsists,  its  duties  are 
presupposed  and  sanctioned  by  religion."  A 
new  era  had  come.  Courage  had  succeeded  to 
cringing,  conscience  to  complaisance.  So  was  it 
with  Massachusetts. 

But  with  the  South,  her  better  days  were 
passed.  She  was  the  slave  of  slavery.  She  was 
afraid  of  the  light.  She  could  not  endure  argu- 
ments. Her  defence  of  herself  was  abuse  and  the 
bludgeon.  Surely  so  terrible  a  disease  called  for 
a  sharp  remedy.  A  true  Daniel  had  now  come 
to  judgment. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        239 

Mr.  Sumner's  reply  was  thorough  and  un- 
answerable. And  this  made  it  the  more  offen- 
sive to  Southern  ears.  It  was  therefore  seriously 
proposed  among  Southern  members  to  expel  him 
from  the  Senate.  One  member  said  he  was 
a  fit  candidate  for  jail,  another  for  a  strait- 
jacket.  "He  was  assailed/'  said  Mr.  Giddings, 
referring  to  the  speeches  of  June  26  and  28,  "  by 
the  whole  slave  power  in  the  Senate,  and  for  a 
time  he  was  the  constant  theme  of  their  vituper- 
ation. The  maddened  waves  rolled  and  dashed 
against  him  for  two  or  three  days,  until  eventual- 
ly he  obtained  the  floor  himself.  Then  he  arose 
and  threw  back  the  dashing  surges  with  a  power 
of  inimitable  eloquence  utterly  indescribable. 
.  .  .  There  he  stood  towering  above  the  infa- 
mous characters  who  had  attempted  to  silence 
him,  while  I  sat  and  listened  with  rapturous  emo- 
tion." 

As  the  hatred,  on  the  one  hand,  was  bitter,  so, 
on  the  other,  the  congratulations  of  his  friends, 
the  friends  of  freedom  and  free  speech,  came  in 
to  Mr.  Sumner  from  every  quarter.  His  boldness 
toned  up  the  public  conscience,  and  gave  new 
strength  and  courage  to  every  friend  of  free- 
dom. 


240        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Not  discomfited  by  the  raging  storm,  Mr. 
Sumner  returned  to  the  onset  against  the  Fugi- 
tive Slave  Bill  a  month  later,  July  31.  It  was  in 
this  wise.  Mr.  Seward  having  "  reported  a  bill 
for  the  relief  of  a  poor  and  aged  woman,  whose 
husband  had  died  of  wounds  received  in  the  war 
of  1812,  Mr.  Adams,  of  Mississippi,  moved,  as  an 
amendment,  another  bill  for  the  relief  of  Mrs. 
Batchelder,  widow  of  a  person  killed  in  BostQn, 
while  aiding  as  a  volunteer  in  the  enforcement 
of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act."  The  amendment 
being  adopted,  Mr.  Sumner  introduced  the  fol- 
lowing amendment :  "  Provided,  That  the  Act  of 
Congress,  approved  September  18,  1850,  for  the 
surrender  of  fugitives  from  service  or  labor,  be, 
and  the  same  is  hereby,  repealed."  An  exciting 
debate  ensued,  and  the  Senate  refused  leave  to 
introduce  the  bill  —  ten  to  thirty-five. 

It  was  with  reference  to  this  debate  that  Mr. 
Whittier,  an  ardent  and  intimate  friend  of  Mr. 
Sumner,  wrote  the  following  lines  :  — 

"  Thou  knowest  my  heart,  dear  friend,  and  well  canst  guess, 
That,  even  though  silent,  I  have  not  the  less 
Rejoiced  to  see  thy  actual  life  agree 
With  the  large  future  which  I  shaped  for  thee, 
When,  years  ago,  beside  the  summer  sea, 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNEE.        241 

"White  in  the  moon,  we  saw  the  long  waves  fall 

Baffled  and  broken  from  the  rocky  wall, 

That  to  the  menace  of  the  brawling  flood 

Opposed  alone  its  massive  quietude, 

Calm  as  a  fate,  with  not  a  leaf  nor  vine 

Nor  birch-spray  trembling  in  the  still  moonshine, 

Crowning  it  like  God's  peace.    I  sometimes  think 

That  night-scene  by  the  sea  prophetical 

(For  Nature  speaks  in  symbols  and  in  signs, 

And  through  her  pictures  human  fate  divines),— 

That  rock,  wherefrom  we  saw  the  billows  sink 

In  murmuring  rout,  uprising  clear  and  tall 

In  the  white  light  of  heaven,  the  type  of  one 

Who,  momently  by  Error's  host  assailed, 

Stands  strong  as  Truth,  in  greaves  of  granite  mailed, 

And,  tranquil-fronted,  listening  over  all 

The  tumult,  hears  the  augels  say,  Well  done ! " 

16 


242       LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Else  of  the  Republican  Parti/.  —  Great  Changes. 

—  Freedom    gaining    Ground.  —  Republican 
Convention.  —  Mr.  Sumner's  Speech.  —  Duties 
of  Massachusetts.  —  The  Supreme    Court  and 
the  Fugitive   Slave  Act.  —  Judges.  —  Letter  to 

.  Agricultural  Society.  — Mercantile  Library  Asso- 
ciation. — "  Position  and  Duties  of  the  Mer- 
chant." —  Granville  Sharp.  —  Seamen 's  Wages. 

—  Fugitive  Slave  Sill. 

THE  party  of  Freedom,  which  had  successively 
borne  the  names  of  Liberty  Party  and  Free  Soil 
Party,  now  assumed  that  of  REPUBLICAN.  Its 
first  convention,  under  this  new  designation,  was 
held  at  Worcester,  September  7,  1854. 

Ten  years  had  wrought  a  mighty  change. 
The  slave  power  was  still  in  the  ascendant,  and 
resolved,  by  whatever  means,  to  retain  its  su- 
premacy. It  had  humiliated  the  North,  and 
dragged  away  in  triumph  from  its  towns  and 


LIFE  OF   CHARLES  8UMNEB.  243 

cities  numerous  fugitives.  It  still  domineered  in 
the  National  Congress.  It  held  all  the  National 
offices.  It  controlled  the  army,  the  navy,  and 
the  judiciary. 

But  its  excessive  fury  had  at  last  aroused  the 
slumbering  North.  Freedom  had  compelled  a 
hearing  in  the  National  Council.  Champions  of 
her  cause  had  at  length  appeared  who  could  not 
be  cajoled  or  intimidated.  Slavery,  though 
haughty  and  defiant,  was  filled  with  new  alarm. 

Under  such  circumstances,  the  first  Republican 
Convention  came  together.  Its  members  were 
inspired  with  strong  hopes.  A  great  future  was 
before  the  party  of  Freedom. 

Mr.  Sumner  was  invited  to  be  present,  and 
was  welcomed  with  unbounded  joy.  He  had 
"  fought  with  wild  beasts  "  at  Washington,  and 
won  the  gratitude  of  all  the  friends  of  Freedom. 

Addressing  the  Convention,  he  said,  — 

"  After  months  of  constant,  anxious  service  in 
another  place,  away  from  Massachusetts,  I  am 
permitted  to  stand  among  you  again,  my  fellow- 
citizens,  and  to  draw  satisfaction  and  strength 
from  your  generous  presence.  Life  is  full  of 
change  and  contrast.  From  Slave  Soil  I  have 


244        LIFE  OF  CHAELE8  SUMNER. 

come  to  Free  Soil.  From  the  tainted  breath  of 
Slavery  I  have  passed  into  the  bracing  air  of 
Freedom.  And  the  heated  antagonism  of  debate, 
shooting  forth  its  fiery  cinders,  is  changed  into 
this  brimming,  overflowing  welcome,  while  I 
seem  to  lean  on  the  great  heart  of  our  beloved 
Commonwealth,  as  it  palpitates  audibly  in  this 
crowded  assembly. 

"  Let  me  say  at  once,  frankly  and  sincerely,  that 
I  am  not  here  to  receive  applause  or  to  give  oc- 
casion for  tokens  of  public  regard,  but  simply  to 
unite  with  fellow-citizens  in  new  vows  of  duty. 
And  yet  I  would  not  be  thought  insensible  to  the 
good-will  now  swelling  from  so  many  honest 
bosoms.  It  touches  me  more  than  I  can  tell." 

He  then  proceeded  to  show  what  were  "  the 
duties  of  Massachusetts  at  the  present  crisis." 

"  Our  duties  in  National  and  State  affairs  are 
identical,  —  in  the  one  case  to  put  the  National 
Government,  in  all  its  departments,  and  in  the 
other  case,  the  State  Government,  in  all  its  de- 
partments, openly,  actively,  and  perpetually,  on 
the  side  of  Freedom." 

Speaking  of  the  Slave  Oligarchy,  he  said, 
"  Lord  Chatham  once  exclaimed,  that  the  time 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  STJMNER.  245 

had  been,  when  he  was  content  to  bring  France 
to  her  knees ;  now  he  would  not  stop  till  he  had 
laid  her  on  her  back.  Nor  can  we  be  content 
with  less  in  our  warfare.  We  must  not  stop  till 
we  have  laid  the  Slave  Power  on  its  back." 

Referring  to  the  decision  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  affirming  the  consti- 
tutionality of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act,  and  to  the 
alleged  consequent  duty  of  absolute  submission, 
Mr.  Sumner  said, — 

"  For  myself,  let  me  say,  that  I  hold  judges, 
and  especially  the  Supreme  Court,  in  much  re- 
spect ;  but  I  am  too  familiar  with  the  history  of 
judicial  proceedings  to  regard  them  with  any 
superstitious  reverence.  Judges  are  but  men, 
and  in  all  ages  have  shown  a  full  share  of  human 
frailty. 

"  Alas  !  alas !  the  worst  crimes  of  history  have 
been  perpetrated  under  their  sanction.  The 
blood  of  martyrs  and  of  patriots,  crying  from  the 
ground,  summons  them  to  judgment. 

"  It  was  a  judicial  tribunal  which  condemned 
Socrates  to  drink  the  fatal  hemlock,  and  which 
pushed  the  Saviour  barefoot  over  the  pavements 
of  Jerusalem,  bending  beneath  his  cross. 


246         LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

"  It  was  a  judicial  tribunal  which,  against  the 
testimony  and  entreaties  of  her  father,  surrendered 
the  fair  Virginia  as  a  slave,  —  which  arrested  the 
teachings  of  the  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  and 
sent  him  in  bonds  from  Judea  to  Rome,  —  which, 
in  the  name  of  the  old  religion,  persecuted  the 
saints  and  fathers  of  the  Christian  Church,  and 
adjudged  them  to  a  martyr's  death,  in  all  its  most 
dreadful  forms,  —  and  afterwards,  in  the  name  of 
the  new  religion,  enforced  the  tortures  of  the  In- 
quisition, amidst  the  shrieks  and  agonies  of  its 
victims,  while  it  compelled  Galileo  to  declare,  in 
solemn  denial  of  the  great  truth  he  had  disclosed, 
that  the  earth  did  not  move  round  the  sun. 

"  Ay,  sir,  it  was  a  judicial  tribunal  in  England 
which  .  .  .  lighted  the  fires  of  persecution  at 
Oxford  and  Smithfield,  over  the  cinders  of  Lati- 
mer,  Ridley,  and  John  Rogers,  —  which,  after 
elaborate  argument,  upheld  the  fatal  tyranny  of 
ship-money  against  the  patriot  resistance  of 
Hampden,  —  which,  in  defiance  of  justice  anc1 
humanity,  sent  Sidney  and  Russell  to  the  block 
—  which  persistently  enforced  the  laws  of  Con  • 
formity  that  our  Puritan  fathers  persistently  re  - 
fused  to  obey,  and  afterwards,  with  Jeffries  on 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        247 

the  bench,  crowned  the  pages  of  English  history 
with  massacre  and  murder,  even  with  the  blood 
of  innocent  women. 

"  Ay,  sir,  it  was  a  judicial  tribunal  in  our  own 
country,  surrounded  by  all  the  forms  of  law, 
which  hung  witches  at  Salem,  —  which  affirmed 
the  constitutionality  of  the  Stamp  Act,  while  it 
admonished  jurors  and  people  to  obey,  —  and 
which  now,  in  our  day,  lendk  its  sanction  to  the 
unutterable  atrocity  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act." 
Mr.  Sumner  believed  that  he  was  bound  to  obey 
the  Constitution  as  he  understood  it,  and  not  as  he 
did  not  understand  it !  He  believed  the  Fugi- 
tive Slave  Act  to  be  unconstitutional,  and  there- 
fore he  did  not  regard  it  as  binding  upon  him. 
It  was  against  the  divine  law,  and  he  would  obey 
God  rather  than  man.  He  would  disobey  the 
human  law,  and  take  the  consequences,  whatever 
they  might  be.  "The  good  citizen,  at  all  per- 
sonal hazard,  will  refuse  to  obey  it." 

On  the  25th  of  the  same  month,  Mr.  Sumner 
sent  a  characteristic  letter  to  the  Norfolk  Agri- 
cultural Society,  giving  his  reasons  for  not  ac- 
cepting an  invitation  to  attend :  — 

"  From  the  mother  earth  we  may  derive  many 


248        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

lessons,  and  I  doubt  not  they  will  spring  up  abun- 
dantly in  the  footprints  of  the  Society.  There  is 
one  which  comes  to  my  mind  at  this  moment ,  and 
which  is  of  perpetual  force. 

11  The  good  farmer  obeys  the  natural  laws,  nor 
does  he  impotently  attempt  to  set  up  any  behest 
of  man  against  the  ordinances  of  God,  determin- 
ing day  and  night,  summer  and  winter,  sunshine 
and  rain.  The  good  citizen  will  imitate  the  good 
farmer,  nor  will  he  impotently  attempt  to  set  up 
any  statutes  of  man  against  the  ordinances  of 
God,  which  determine  good  and  evil,  right  and 
wrong,  justice  and  injustice."  An  ingenious  ar- 
gument against  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act. 

On  November  13,  he  addressed  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association  of  Boston  on  the  "  Position 
and  Duties  of  the  Merchant,  as  illustrated  in  the 
Life  of  Granville  Sharp." 

This  oration  marks  a  great  change  in  public 
opinion  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  When,  seven 
years  before,  he  addressed  the  Association,  he 
called  his  lecture  "  an  attempt  to  expose  slavery 
before  a  promiscuous  audience,  at  a  time  when 
the  subject  was  too  delicate  to  be  treated  directly" 
Then  he  spoke  of  "  white  slavery  in  the  Barbary 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        249 

States."  Now  he  could  speak  directly  of  negro 
slavery  in  the  United  States,  and  be  "  well  re- 
ceived." He  could  even  rebuke  merchants  of 
Boston  who  had  not  only  aided,  but,  in  some 
cases,  instigated  the  arrest  and  rendition  of  Sims 
and  Burns. 

Granville  Sharp,  a  London  merchant,  born  in 
1735,  was  held  up  as  a  model  business  man,  and, 
above  all,  as  a  man :  a  man  who  carried  his  con- 
science into  trade,  but  never  made  a  trade  of  con- 
science j  who  was  more  than  a  successful  merchant, 
a  philanthropist  of  the  purest  character,  a  special 
foe  to  slavery,  "  heralding  by  many  years  the  la- 
bors of  Clarkson  and  Wilberforce."  He  boldly 
assailed  the  slave-trade,  and  slavery  itself.  He 
labored  to  prove  that  slavery  could  not  exist  un- 
der the  British  Constitution.  Cases  of  slaves 
arrested  in  England  by  foreign  masters  had  awa- 
kened his  sympathies.  Though  often  balked,  he 
never  rested  till  the  Chief  Justice  of  England  at 
length  declared,  that  the  moment  a  slave  touched 
British  soil  he  became  free. 

"  Imitating  him,"  said  Mr.  Sumner,  in  conclu- 
sion, "  commerce  would  thrive  none  the  less,  but 
goodness  more.  Business  would  not  be  checked, 


250        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

but  it  would  cease  to  be  pursued  as  the  '  one  idea ' 
of  life.  Wealth  would  still  abound ;  but  there 
would  be  also  that  solid  virtue,  never  to  be 
moved  from  truth.  .  .  . 

"  The  hardness  of  heart  engendered  by  the 
accursed  greed  of  gain,  and  by  the  madness 
of  worldly  ambition,  would  be  overcome ;  the 
perverted  practice,  that  policy  is  the  'best  honesty, 
would  be  reversed ;  and  merchants  would  be 
recalled,  gently,  but  irresistibly,  to  the  great 
practical  duties  of  this  age,  and  thus  win  the 
palm  of  true  honesty,  which  trade  alone  can 
never  bestow. 

'  Who  is  the  honest  man  ? 
He  that  doth  still  and  strongly  good  pursue, 
To  God,  his  neighbor,  and  himself,  most  true.'  " 

Thus,  on  all  occasions,  addressing  young  men, 
merchants,  scholars,  politicians,  in  the  lyceum, 
at  literary  festivals,  in  conventions  of  the  people, 
in  the  Senate,  everywhere  that  he  could  get  the 
ear  of  his  fellow-men,  Mr.  Sumner  held  up  the 
same  high  standard  of  right  and  truth,  the  au- 
thority of  conscience,  the  will  of  God. 

Returning  to  Congress,  he  introduced  a  bill, 
February  12,  1855,  "to  secure  wages  to  seamen 


LIFE  OF   CHARLES  SUMNER.  251 

in  case  of  wreck."  "  The  measure  now  pro- 
posed," he  said,  "  is  of  direct  importance  to 
the  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  seamen  con- 
stituting the  mercantile  marine  of  the  United 
States.  It  also  concerns  the  million  of  men  con- 
stituting the  mercantile  marine  of  the  civilized 
world,  any  of  whom,  in  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
sea,  may  find  themselves  in  American  bottoms. 
I  commend  it  as  a  measure  of  enlightened  phi- 
lanthropy, and  also  of  simple  justice." 

His  motion  to  refer  it  to  the  Committee  on 
Commerce  was  agreed  to.  Southern  as  well 
as  Northern  senators  could  do  justice  to  sea- 
men, in  making  secure  their  hard-earned  wages  ; 
but  not  yet  did  the  former  heed  the  warning, 
"  Woe  unto  him  that  useth  his  neighbor's  ser- 
vice without  wages,  and  giveth  him  not  for  his 
work" 

On  the  23d  of  the  same  month,  another  oppor- 
tunity was  given  Mr.  Sumner  to  demand  the 
repeal  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill.  It  was  on 
a  motion  of  Mr.  Toucey,  of  Connecticut,  (!)  to 
remove  "  cases  arising  from  trespasses  and  dam- 
ages under  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act,"  from  the 
State  Courts  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United 


252        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

States.  The  purpose  of  the  mover,  "  a  Northern 
man  with  Southern  principles/'  was  to  give 
more  efficiency  to  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act. 

On  this  Mr.  Sunmer  said,  — 

"  On  a  former  occasion,  as  slavery  was  about  to 
clutch  one  pf  its  triumphs,  I  rose  to  make  my 
final  opposition  at  midnight.  It  is  now  the 
same  hour.  Slavery  is  pressing  again  for  its 
accustomed  victory,  which  I  undertake  again 
for  the  moment  to  arrest.  It  is  hardly  an  acci- 
dental conjunction  which  constantly  brings  sla- 
very and  midnight  together.  .  .  . 

"I  do  not  adequately  expose  this  bill,  when 
I  say  it  is  a  sacrifice  to  slavery.  It  is  a 
sacrifice  to  slavery  in  its  most  odious  form. 
Bad  as  slavery  is,  it  is  not  so  bad  as  hunting 
slaves.  There  is  seeming  apology  for  slavery 
at  home,  in  States  where  it  prevails,  founded 
on  difficulties  in  the  position  of  the  master,  and 
the  relations  of  personal  attachment  it  some- 
times excites ;  but  every  apology  fails  when 
you  seek  again  to  enslave  the  fugitive  whom 
the  master  cannot  detain  by  duress  or  kindness, 
and  who,  by  courage  and  intelligence,  under 
guidance  of  the  North  Star,  can  achieve  a  happy 


LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNEB.        253 

freedom.  Sir,  there  is  a  wide  difference  between 
slave-holder  and  slave-hunter. 

"  But  the  bill  before  you  is  to  aid  in  the  chase 
of  slaves.  .  .  .  Not  from  Slave  Soil,  but  from 
Free  Soil,  comes  this  effort.  A  senator  from 
the  North,  a  senator  from  New  England,  lends 
himself  to  the  work,  and  with  unnatural  zeal 
helps  to  bind  still  stronger  the  fetter  of  the 
slave." 

To  the  inquiry  of  Mr.  Rusk,  of  Texas,  where 
slavery  was  mentioned  in  the  bill,  Mr.  Sumner 
ingeniously  replied,  "  I  might  ask  the  senator  to 
point  out  any  place  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  where  '  slavery  '  is  mentioned." 

After  earnest  denunciation  of  the  Fugitive 
Slave  Bill,  he  moved  its  repeal,  with  the  follow- 
ing result:  ayes  9,  nays  30.  The  nine  were 
Messrs.  Brainerd,  Chase,  Cooper,  Fessenden,  Gil- 
lette, Seward,  Sumner,  Wade,  and  Wilson. 

And  so  ended  one  more  effort  for  freedom. 


254        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

Lecture  before  the  Mercantile  Library  Association. 
— "  The  Anti- Slavery  Enterprise. "  —  Opposition 
to  Truth.  —  The  first  to  welcome  Truth.  —  Mr. 
Hayes.  —  Dignity  of  the  Cause  of  Freedom.  — 
—  A  work  for  Every  One.  —  Meeting  at  Fan- 
euil  Hall.  —  The  Rip  Van  Winkle  Party.  — 
The  Know  Nothing  Party. 

'«  HANCOCK  STREET,  23d  November,  1856. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  :  An  unkindly  current  of  air 
is  often  more  penetrating  than  an  arrow.  From 
such  a  shaft  I  suffered  on  the  night  of  my  address 
to  the  Mercantile  Library  Association,  more  than 
a  week  ago,  and  no  care  or  skill  has  been  effica- 
cious to  relieve  me." 

This  forms  part  of  a  letter  of  excuse  from  Mr. 
Sumner  for  not  delivering  a  lecture  —  the  first  of 
a  course  organized  in  Boston  for  the  discussion 
of  slavery.  Mr.  Sumner  was  silenced.  A  "  cur- 
rent of  air "  had  effected  what  the  acts  and 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        255 

threats  of  slaveholders  had  failed  to  do.  But 
kindly  Nature  ere  long  relented,  and  released  him 
from  her  bonds.  He  returned  to  his  seat  in  the 
Senate. 

The  following  spring,  in  1855,  Mr.  Sumner 
gave  the  lecture  referred  to  above  —  "  The  Anti- 
Slavery  Enterprise:  Its  Necessity,  Practicabil- 
ity, and  Dignity."  It  awakened  so.  much  inter- 
est, that  its  repetition  was  requested  in  Boston, 
and  in  many  places  in  New  York.  Its  suc- 
cessive delivery  in  Metropolitan  Hall  and  Niblo's 
Theatre,  New  York,  and  in  Brooklyn,  forms  an 
era  in  the  anti- slavery  cause.  Said  the  New 
York  Tribune,  "  That  a  lecture  should  be  repeat- 
ed in  New  York  is  a  rare  occurrence.  That  a 
lecture  on  anti-slavery  should  be  repeated  in 
New  York,  even  before  a  few  despised  fanatics, 
is  an  unparalleled  occurrence.  But  that  an  anti- 
slavery  lecture  should  be  repeated,  night  after 
night,  to  successive  multitudes,  each  more  enthu- 
siastic than  the  last,  marks  the  epoch  of  a  revolu- 
tion in  popular  feeling ;  it  is  an  era  in  the  history 
of  Liberty." 

In  the  beginning  of  this  speech,  which  was 
three  hours  long,  Mr.  Sumner  briefly  sketched 


256        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

the  rapid  progress  of  anti-slavery  sentiment. 
Referring  to  the  opposition  which  it  had  met  with, 
he  said,  "  Thus,  in  all  ages,  is  truth  encountered. 
At  first  persecuted,  gagged,  silenced,  cruci- 
fied, she  cries  out  from  the  prison,  the  rack,  the 
stake,  the  cross,  till  at  last  her  voice  is  heard. 
And  when  that  voice  is  really  heard,  whether  in 
martyr  cries,  or  in  earthquake  tones  of  civil  con- 
vulsion, or  in  the  calmness  of  ordinary  speech, 
such  as  I  now  employ,  or  in  that  still,  small 
utterance  inaudible  to  the  common  ear,  then  is 
the  beginning  of  victory  !  '  Give  me  where  to 
stand,  and  I  will  move  tha  world/  said  Archi- 
medes ;  and  truth  asks  no  more  than  did  the 
master  of  geometry. 

"  Viewed  in  this  aspect,  the  present  occasion 
rises  above  any  ordinary  course  of  lectures  or 
series  of  political  meetings.  It  is  the  inaugura- 
tion of  Freedom.  From  this  time  forward,  her 
voice  of  warning  and  command  cannot  be  si- 
lenced." 

Speaking  of  the  objection  to  the  anti-slavery 
enterprise,  that  it  "  lacked  the  authority  of  names 
eminent  in  Church  and  State,"  Mr.  Sumner  said, 
"  If  this  be  so,  the  more  is  the  pity  on  their 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER.        257 

account ;  for  our  cause  is  needful  to  them  more 
than  they  are  needful  to  our  cause.  Alas  !  it  is 
only  according  to  example  that  it  should  be  so. 
It  is  not  the  eminent  in  Church  and  State,  the 
rich  and  powerful,  the  favorites  of  fortune  and 
of  place,  who  most  promptly  welcome  Truth, 
when  she  heralds  change  in  the  existing  order  of 
things.  It  is  others  in  poorer  condition  who  open 
hospitable  hearts  to  the  unattended  stranger. 
This  is  a  sad  story,  beginning  with  the  Saviour, 
whose  disciples  were  fishermen,  and  ending  only 
in  our  day." 

"  There  is  now  in  Boston  a  simple  citizen  whose 
example  may  be  a  lesson  to  Commissioners, 
Marshals,  Magistrates,  while  it  fills  all  with 
the  beauty  of  a  generous  act.  I  refer  to  Mr. 
Hayes,  who  resigned  his  place  in  the  city  police, 
rather  than  take  part  in  the  pack  of  the  Slave- 
hunter;  He  is  now  the  doorkeeper  of  the  public 
edifice  honored  this  winter  by  the  triumphant 
lectures  on  slavery.  Better  be  a  doorkeeper  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord  than  a  dweller  in  the  tents 
of  the  ungodly.  Has  he  not  chosen  well  ?  Little 
think  those  now  doing  the  work  of  slavery,  that 
the  time  is  near  when  all  this  will  be  dishonor 
17 


258        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

and  sadness.  For  myself,  long  ago  my  mind  was 
made  up.  Nothing  will  I  have  to  do  with  it. 
How  can  I  help  to  make  a  slave  ?  The  idea" 
alone  is  painful.  To  do  this  thing  would  plant 
in  my  soul  a  remorse  which  no  time  could 
remove  or  mitigate.  His  chains  would  clank  in 
my  ears.  His  cries  would  strike  upon  my  heart. 
His  voice  would  be  my  terrible  accuser.  Mr. 
President,  may  no  such  voice  fall  on  your  soul 
or  mine  ! " 

Of  the  dignity  of  the  enterprise  he  thus  dis- 
coursed :  — 

"  It  concerns  the  cause  of  human  freedom, 
which  from  earliest  days  has  been  the  darling 
of  History.  By  all  the  memories  of  the  past, 
by  all  the  stories  of  childhood  and  the  studies  of 
youth,  by  every  example  of  magnanimous  virtue, 
by  every  aspiration  of  the  good  and  true,  by  the 
fame  of  martyrs  swelling  through  all  time,  by  the 
renown  of  patriots  whose  lives  are  landmarks  of 
progress,  by  the  praise  lavished  upon  our  fathers, 
you  are  summoned  to  this  work.  .  .  .  Who  can 
doubt  that  our  cause  is  nobler  than  that  of  our 
fathers  ?  for  is  it  not  more  exalted  to  struggle  for 
the  freedom  of  others  than  for  our  own  ?  " 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  259 

Speaking  of  the  practicability  of  the  enter- 
prise, he  said  there  was  a  place  for  every  man. 
"  Providence  is  felt  through  individuals ;  the 
dropping  of  water  wears  away  the  rock ;  and 
no  man  can  be  too  humble  or  poor  for  this  work, 
while  to  all  the  happy  in  genius,  fortune,  or  fame, 
it  makes  a  special  appeal.  Here  is  room  for  the 
strength  of  Luther  and  the  sweetness  of  Me- 
lancthon ;  for  the  wisdom  of  age  and  the  ardor 
of  youth ;  for  the  judgment  of  the  statesman  and 
the  eloquence  of  the  orator  ;  for  the  grace  of  the 
scholar  and  the  inspiration  of  the  poet ;  for  the 
learning  of  the  professor  and  the  skill  of  the  law- 
yer ;  for  the  exhortation  of  the  preacher  and  the 
persuasion  of  the  press ;  for  the  various  energy 
of  man  and  the  abounding  sympathy  of  woman." 

At  a  Republican  rally  in  Faneuil  Hall,  No- 
vember 2,  1855,  on  the  evs  of  an  election,  Mr. 
Sumner  spoke  for  two  hours  and  a  quarter,  show- 
ing that  the  Republican  party  alone  represented 
the  principles  of  Freedom  and  the  Constitution. 
His  speech  began  with  these  stirring  words  :  — 

"  Are  you  for  Freedom,  or  are  you  for  Slavery  ? 
This  is  the  question  which  you  are  to  answer  at 
the  coming  election.  Above  all  other  questions, 


260        LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNEB. 

national  or  local,  it  lifts  itself  directly  in  the  path 
of  every  voter.  There  it  is.  It  cannot  be  avoid- 
ed. It  cannot  be  banished  away.  It  cannot  be 
silenced.  Forever  sounding  in  our  ears,  it  has 
a  mood  for  every  hour,  —  stirring  us  at  times  as 
with  the  blast  of  a  trumpet,  then  visiting  us  in 
solemn  tones,  like  the  bell  which  calls  to  prayer, 
and  then  again  awaking  us  to  unmistakable  duty, 
like  the  same  bell,  when  at  midnight  it  sum- 
mons all  to  stay  the  raging  conflagration." 

Tried  by  this  test,  the  Democratic  and  Whig 
parties  were  utterly  wanting;  so  also  was  the 
Know  Nothing  or  Anti-foreign  party.  "  Men 
do  not  gather  grapes  from  thorns,  nor  figs  from 
thistles ;  nor  do  they  expect  patriotism  from 
Benedict  Arnold."  The  Democratic  party  sus- 
tained "  the  tyrannies  and  perfidies  of  the  slave 
oligarchy."  The  Whig  party  was  thus  hand- 
somely disposed  of:  — 

"  According  to  familiar  rule,  ha' nded  down 
from  distant  ai^tiquity,  we  are  to  say  nothing 
but  good  of  the  dead.  How,  then,  shall  I  sp'eak 
of  the  late  powerful  Whig  party,  by  whose  gianf; 
contests  the  whole  country  was  once  upheaved, 
but  which  hai  now  ceased  to  exist,  except  as 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNEB.        261 

the  shadow  of  a  name  ?  Here  in  Massachusetts, 
a  few  who  do  not  yet  know  that  it  is  dead  have 
met  together  and  professed  the  old  allegiance. 
They  are  the  Rip  Yan  Winkles  of  our  politics. 
This  respectable  character,  falling  asleep  in  the 
mountains,  drowsed  undisturbed  throughout  the 
war  of  the  revolution,  and  then,  returning  to  his 
native  village,  ignorant  of  all  that  had  passed, 
made  haste  to  declare  himself  l  a  loyal  subject 
of  the  king,  God  bless  him  ! '  But  our  "Whigs 
are  less  tolerant  and  urbane  than  this  awakened 
sleeper.  In  petulant  and  irrational  assumption 
they  are  like  the  unfortunate  judge,  who,  being 
aroused  from  slumber  on  the  bench  by  a  sudden 
crash  of  thunder,  exclaimed, '  Mr.  Crier,  stop  the 
noise  in  court ! '  The  thunder  would  not  be 
hushed  j  nor  will  the  voice  of  Freedom,  now  re- 
verberating throughout  the  land." 

Speaking  of  the  so-called  American  party,  Mr. 
Summer  uttered  a  plea  for  our  foreign  population. 
It  should  not  be  politically  proscribed.  Roman 
Catholics  should  "  give  some  assurance  of  their 
purpose  ...  to  become  useful,  loyal,  and  per- 
manent members  of  our  community."  With  this 
explanation  he  would  extend  generous  welcome 


262        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

to  foreigners.  "  The  history  of  our  country,  in 
its  humblest  as  well  as  most  exalted  spheres,  tes- 
tifies to  the  merits  of  foreigners.  Their  strong 
arms  have  helped  furrow  our  broad  territory 
with  canals,  and  stretch  in  every  direction  the 
iron  rail.  They  fill  our  workshops,  navigate  our 
ships,  and  even  till  our  fields.  ...  At  the  bar 
and  in  the  high  places  of  commerce  you  find 
them ;  enter  the  retreats  of  learning,  and  there 
you  find  them,  shedding  upon  our  country  the 
glory  of  science. 

"  A  party,  then,  which,  beginning  in  secrecy, 
interferes  with  religious  belief,  and  founds  a 
discrimination  on  the  accident  of  birth,  is  not  the 
party  for  us." 

And  so  Mr.  Sumner  proved  the  necessity  of 
the  Republican  party.  " i  Where  liberty  is, 
there  is  my  country/  was  the  sentiment  of  that 
great  apostle  of  freedom,  Benjamin  Franklin. 
...  In  a  similar  strain,  I  would  say,  '  Where 
liberty  is,  there  is  my  party.'  " 

That  party  has  gained  for  itself  a  most  honor- 
able name.  Under  God,  it  abolished  slavery,  it 
saved  the  nation.  Its  more  recent  history  we 
pass  by  in  silence. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        263 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Growing  arrogance  of  the  Slave  Power.  —  Ne- 
braska and  Kansas.  —  Violence  in  Washington. 
—  Mr.  Sumner's  Speech,  "  The  Grime  against 
Kansas."  —  Question  of  Admitting  Kansas  as  a 
State.  —  Douglas's  Sill.  —  Letters  to  Theodore 
Parker. — Mr.  Seward's  Bill.  —  A  Great  De- 
bate. —  The  Monster  Swindle.  —  Emigration 
to  Kansas.  —  Border  Ruffians.  —  A  Usurping 
Legislature.  —  Slave  Legislation.  —  Senator 
Butler  and  South  Carolina. 

WE  have  now  reached  a  period  when  the 
slavery  question  was  fast  hastening  to  a  dread- 
ful crisis.  The  Nebraska  Bill  had  revealed  in 
unmistakable  colors  the  daring  and  desperate 
character  of  the  slave  power.  Kansas  had  be- 
come the  theatre  of  a  deadly  strife.  "  The  bor- 
der ruffian  policy/7  says  Vice-President  Wilson, 
"  which  was  filling  that  Territory  with  alarm  and 
bloodshed,  had  its  representatives  in  Washington, 
walking  its  streets,  hanging  around  its  hotels,  and 


264        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

stalking  through  the  Capitol.  To  the  extreme 
arrogance  of  embittered  and  aggressive  words 
were  added  the  menace  and  actual  infliction  of 
personal  violence.  Indeed,  the  course  of  these 
men  assumed  the  form  of  a  reckless  and  relent- 
less audacity  never  before  exhibited.  Members 
of  Congress  went  armed  in  the  streets,  and  sat 
with  loaded  revolvers  in  their  desks."  It  should 
be  added,  that  Mr.  Sumner  always  went  un- 
armed. 

Under  such  peculiar  circumstances  it  was,  that 
Mr.  Sumner  delivered,  on  May  19  and  20, 1856,  his 
speech  entitled  The  Crime  Against  Kansas ;  The 
Apologies  for  the  Crime;  The  True  Remedy. 

By  the  Nebraska  Bill,  passed  in  1854,  the  Mis- 
souri Compromise  of  1820,  prohibiting  slavery 
north  of  36°  30'  north  latitude,  was  violated,  and 
the  vast  region  known  as  Kansas  and  Nebraska, 
as  also  Minnesota,  Washington,  and  Oregon  Ter- 
ritories, were  opened  to  slavery. 

By  this  bill  it  was  left  to  each  Territory 
whether  to  introduce  or  exclude  -slavery. 

The  question  now  immediately  pending  was 
the  admission  of  Kansas,  as  a  State,  into  the 
Union.  The  pro-slavery  party  were  of  course 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        265 

resolved,  if  possible,  to  have  it  come  in  as  a 
Slave  State.  For  this  purpose  Mr.  Douglas  in- 
troduced a  bill,  March  17,  1856,  "  to  authorize 
the  people  of  the  Territory  of  Kansas  to  form  a 
Constitution  and  State  Government,  preparatory 
to  their  admission  into  the  Union,  when  they 
have  the  requisite  population." 

Beneath  the  seeming  fairness  of  this  bill  there 
lurked  an  infamous  plot.  It  was  designed,  by 
delay,  to  so  manipulate  the  voting  power  in  the 
Territory,  under  the  direction  of  the  president, 
an  agent  of  slavery,  that  a  slave  constitution 
should  be  adopted,  and  Kansas  present  herself 
for  admission  to  the  Union  as  a  Slave  State. 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Sumner  to  Theodore  Parker, 
under  date  of  March  26,  1856,  shows  the  plan 
adopted  by  the  friends  of  freedom  in  Congress, 
in  opposition  to  the  pro- slavery  plot :  — 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  to  open  on  Kansas.  Let 
me  suggest  to  press  the  admission  of  Kansas  at 
once  with  her  present  constitution.  This  is  the 
policy  we  have  adopted,  and  it  will  crowd  Douglas 
and  Cass  infinitely.  This  proposition  is  some- 
thing practical ;  and  on  this  we  must  fight  the 
presidential  election.  .  .  . 


266        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

"  Seward  will  make  a  grand  speech.  I  shall 
follow  as  soon  as  possible,  and  use  plain  words. 

11 0 !  this  enormity  is  not  really  understood. 
The  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  its  wickedness 
glares." 

Two  days  before  his  speech  (May  17),  Mr. 
Sumner  wrote  to  the  same  friend,  "  Alas !  alas ! 
the  tyranny  over  us  is  complete.  Will  the  people 
submit?  When  you  read  this  I  shall  be  saying 
—  in  the  Senate  —  they  will  not  1  Would  that  I 
had  your  strength.  But  I  shall  pronounce  the 
most  thorough  Philippic  ever  uttered  in  a  legis- 
lative body." 

According  to  the  policy  referred  to  above,  Mr. 
Seward  submitted,  by  way  of  substitute,  another 
bill,  providing  for  immediate  action :  "  A  Bill  for 
the  Admission  of  the  State  of  Kansas  into  the 
Union,"  with  a  free  constitution. 

Thereupon  ensued  the  great  debate,  in  which 
Mr.  Sumner  took  so  prominent  a  part,  using 
"plain  words."  He  reviewed  the  whole  history 
of  the  conspiracy  for  extending  slavery  into 
regions  solemnly  consecrated  to  freedom.  The 
Nebraska  Bill  he  called  " a  swindle  "  —  "a swindle 
of  the  North  by  the  South  "  — "  a  swindle  of  the 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        267 

whole  country "  —  "a  swindle  of  popular  sover- 
eignty"—  "a  swindle  of  a  great  cause "• —  "a 
swindle  of  God-given,  inalienable  rights.  Turn 
it  over,  look  at  it  on  all  sides,  and  it  is  every- 
where a  swindle ;  and  if  the  word  I  now  employ 
has  not  the  authority  of  classical  usage,  it  has,  on 
this  occasion,  the  indubitable  authority  of  fitness. 
No  other  word  will  adequately  express  the  min- 
gled meanness  and  wickedness  of  the  cheat." 

From  this  original  monster  swindle,  other 
swindles  were  to  issue.  The  region  being  opened 
to  slavery,  "  it  was  confidently  anticipated,  that, 
by  the  activity  of"  secret  slavery  emigration  so- 
cieties, "  slavery  might  be  introduced  into  Kan- 
sas, quietly,  but  surely,  without  arousing  conflict 
—  that  the  crocodile  egg  might  be  stealthily 
dropped  in  the  sunburnt  soil,  there  to  be  hatched, 
unobserved,  until  it  sent  forth  -its  reptile  mon- 
ster." 

But,  unfortunately  for  this  plot,  emigration  was 
open  from  the  Free  States,  and  the  South  soon 
had  cause  to  fear  a  decided  failure.  Large  num- 
bers of  people  flocked  to  Kansas,  for  the  double 
purpose  of  finding  a  home  and  saving  the  Ter- 
ritory to  freedom.  There  sprang  up  a  conflict 


268        LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNEK. 

which  reddened  the  soil  with  blood,  and  revealed 
in  many  ways  the  desperate  character  of  the  slave 
power.  Shall  Kansas  be  the  home  of  Freedom,  or 
the  den  of  Slavery  ?  That  became  the  all-absorb- 
ing question  through  anxious  years. 

"  Popular  sovereignty,"  the  vaunted  glory  of 
the  Nebraska  Bill,  designed  to  carry  slavery  into 
that  Territory,  was  discovered  to  be  full  of  danger 
to  the  South.  Northern  emigrants  outnumbered 
those  from  the  South.  Now,  then,  that  very 
feature  of  the  bill  must  be  trampled  under  foot 
by  its  own  progenitors.  The  people  of  Kansas 
must  be  robbed  of  the  rights  solemnly  —  no, 
falsely  —  guaranteed  to  them.  They  were  not 
to  be  allowed  to  decide  against  slavery.  This 
outrage  was  attempted  in  five  separate  invasions 
of  Kansas  by  armed  bands,  in  one  case  number- 
ing eighteen  hundred  men,  from  Missouri,  and  by 
other  acts  of  perfidy  instigated  or  sanctioned  at 
Washington.  By  controlling  the  ballot-box,  these 
invaders  elected  a  slavery  delegate  to  Congress 
in  1854. 

"  The  first  ballot-box,"  says  General  Pomeroy, 
"  that  was  opened  upon  our  virgin  soil  was  closed 
to  us  by  overpowering  numbers  and  impending 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  8UMNEB.        269 

force.  .  .  .  They  came  upon  us,  not  in  the  guise 
of  voters,  to  steal  away  our  franchise,  but  boldly 
and  openly,  to  snatch  it  with  a  strong  hand.  They 
came  directly  from  their  own  homes,  and  in  com- 
pact and  organized  bands,  with  arms  in  hand  and 
provisions  for  the  expedition,  marched  to  our 
polls,  and,  when  their  work  was  done,  returned 
whence  they  came." 

"  This  infliction/'  says  Mr.  Sumner,  "  was  a  sig- 
nificant prelude  to  the  grand  invasion  of  the  30th 
March,  1855,  at  the  election  of  the  first  territo- 
rial legislature  under  the  organic  law,  when  an 
armed  multitude  from  Missouri  entered  the  Terri- 
tory in  larger  numbers  than  General  Taylor  com- 
manded at  Buena  Vista,  or  than  General  Jackson 
within  his  lines  at  New  Orleans  —  much  larger 
than  our  fathers  rallied  on  Bunker  Hill. 

"  On  they  came  as  an  army  with  banners,  or- 
ganized in  companies,  with  officers,  munitions, 
tents,  and  provisions,  as  though  marching  upon  a 
foreign  foe,  and  breathing  loud-mouthed  threats 
that  they  would  carry  their  purpose,  if  need  were, 
by  the  bowie-knife  and  the  revolver.  .  .  .  Arrived 
at  their  several  destinations  on  the  night  before 
the  election,  the  invaders  pitched  their  tents. 


270        LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNEB. 

placed  their  sentries,  and  waited  for  the  coming 
day." 

"  They  came/'  says  General  Pomeroy,  "  with 
drums  beating  and  flags  flying,  and  their  leaders 
were  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  State  " 
[Missouri.] 

Accordingly,  in  flagrant  contempt  of  their  own 
bill,  the  free  people  of  Kansas  had  imposed  upon 
them  a  pro-slavery  legislature.  "  Thus  was  con- 
quered the  Sebastopol  of  that  Territory." 

One  year  after  the  first  invasion,  another,  the 
most  formidable  of  all,  "  burst  upon  the  heads  of 
the  devoted  people "  of  Kansas.  An  army  of 
eighteen  hundred  men, "  with  seven  pieces  of  can- 
non, belonging  to  the  United  States"  threatened 
the  town  of  Lawrence.  Though  compelled  at  last 
to  "a  mean  retreat/'  they  committed-  shameful 
excesses,  including  several  murders.  All  this  was 
to  punish  the  unreasonable  people  of  Kansas  for 
refusing  to  submit  to  foreign  and  lawless  dictation. 

"  From  the  beginning  the  spirit  of  evil  hung 
upon  the  skirts  of  this  interesting  Territory,  har- 
rowing its  peace,  disturbing  its  prosperity,  and 
keeping  its  inhabitants  under  the  painful  alarms 
of  war.  All  security  of  person,  property,  and 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        271 

labor  was  overthrown,  ...  a  wrong  which  is 
small  only  by  the  side  of  the  giant  wrong,  for  the 
consummation  of  which  all  this  is  done/  ...  As 
every  point  in  a  wide- spread  horizon  radiates  from 
a  common  centre,  so  everything  said  or  done  in 
this  vast  circle  of  crime  radiates  from  the  One 
Idea,  that  Kansas,  at  all  hazards,  must  be  made  a 
Slave  State." 

"  To  accomplish  this  result,  three  things  are  at- 
tempted :  first,  by  outrages  of  all  kinds  to  drive 
the  friends  of  freedom  out  of  the  Territory ;  sec- 
ondly, to  deter  others  from  coming  ;  and,  thirdly, 
to  obtain  complete  control  of  the  government." 

The  usurping  legislature  formally  recognized 
slavery  in  a  law  of  thirteen  sections.  "  In  three 
sections  only  is  the  penalty  of  death  denounced 
no  less  than  forty-eight  different  times  against 
the  heinous  offence  ...  of  interfering  with  .  .  . 
property  in  flesh.  Thus  is  Liberty  sacrificed  to 
Slavery,  and  Death  summoned  to  sit  at  the  gates  as 
guardian  of  the  Wrong" 

"  Mark,  three  different  legislative  enactments 
constituted  part  of  this  work, "  so  as  "  to  defy  all 
effort  at  change  through  ordinary  forms  of  law" 

11  First,  according  to  one  act,  all  who  deny,  by 


272        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

spoken  or  written  word,  the  '  right  of  persons  to 
hold  slaves  in  this  Territory/  are  denounced  as  fel- 
ons, to  be  punished  by  imprisonment  at  hard  labor 
for  a  term  not  less  than  two  years  —  it  may  be  for 
life.  .  .  .  Secondly,  by  another  act,  no  person  can 
practise  as  an  attorney,  unless  he  shall  obtain  a 
license  from  the  territorial  courts,  which,  of  course, 
a  tyrannical  discretion  will  be  free  to  deny  ;  and, 
after  obtaining  such  license,  he  is  constrained  to 
take  an  oath '  to  support  and  sustain '  .  .  .  the  Ter- 
ritorial Act  and  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill.  .  .  .  And 
thirdly,  by  another  act,  all  persons  '  conscientious- 
ly opposed  to  the  holding  slaves/  or  '  who  do  not 
admit  the  right  to  hold  slaves  in  this  Territory,'  are 
excluded  from  the  jury  on  every  question,  civil  or 
criminal,  arising  out  of  arrested  slave  property." 

To  insure  the  enforcement  of  these  infamous 
statutes,  the  President  of  the  United  States  ap- 
pointed proper  instruments,  in  the  shape  of  gov- 
ernor, chief  justice,  judges,  secretary,  attorney, 
and  marshal.  The  legislature  imposed  a  crowd 
of  officers  upon  the'  people,  whom  they  had  no 
voice  in  appointing. 

"  The  final,  inexorable  work  remained  to  be 
done."  To  guard  against  the  possibility  of  any 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        273 

change  at  a  future  election,  two  different  acts 
were  passed :  the  first  excluding  from  the  elec- 
tive franchise  all  who  would  not  take  the  oath  to 
support  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill ;  the  second  enti- 
tling all  other  persons  to  vote  who  tendered  a  tax 
of  one  dollar  to  the  sheriff  on  the  day  of  election ; 
thus  disfranchising  all  opposed  to  slavery,  and  at 
the  same  time  opening  the  door  to  the  votes  of 
the  invaders. 

"  Thus  was  the  crime  consummated.  Slavery 
stands  erect,  clanking  its  chains  on  the  Territory 
of  Kansas,  surrounded  by  a  code  of  death,  and 
trampling  upon  all  cherished  liberties,  whether 
of  speech,  the  press,  the  bar,  the  trial  by  jury,  or 
the  electoral  franchise.  And,  sir,  all  this  is  done, 
not  merely  to  introduce  a  wrong  which  is  itself 
a  denial  of  .all  rights,  and  in  dread  of  which 
mothers  have  taken  the  lives  of  their  offspring, 
.  .  .  but  it  is  taken  for  the  sake  of  political  power, 
in  order  to  bring  two  new  slaveholding  senators 
upon  this  floor,  and  thus  to  fortify  in  the  national 
government  the  desperate  chances  of  a  waning 
oligarchy.  As  the  gallant  ship,  voyaging  on 
pleasant  summer  seas,  is  assailed  by  a  pirate 
crew,  and  plundered  of  its  doubloons  and  dollars, 
18 


274       LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNER. 

so  is  this  beautiful  Territory  now  assailed  in 
peace  and  prosperity,  and  robbed  of  its  political 
power  for  the  sake  of  slavery.  Even  now  the 
black  flag  of  the  land  pirates  from  Missouri  waves 
at  the  mast-head.  In  their  laws  you  hear  the 
pirate  yell,  and  see  the  flash  of  the  pirate  knife ; 
while,  incredible  to  relate,  the  President,*  gath- 
ering the  slave  power  at  his  back,  testifies  a  pirate 
sympathy. 

"  Emerging  from  all  the  blackness  of  this  crime, 
where  we  seem  to  have  been  lost  as  in  a  savage 
wood,  and  turning  our  backs  upon  it,  as  upon 
devastation  and  death,  from  which,  while  others 
have  suffered,  we  have  escaped,  I  come,  now,  to 
the  apologies  which  the  crime  has  found.  .  .  . 
Great  crimes  of  history  have  never  been  without 
apologies.  The  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew, 
which  you  now  instinctively  condemn,  was,  at 
the  time,  applauded  in  high  quarters,  and  even 
commemorated  by  a  papal  medal,  which  may  still 
be  procured  at  Eome,  —  as  the  crime  against  Kan- 
sas, which  is  hardly  less  conspicuous  in  dread- 
ful eminence,  has  been  shielded  on  this  floor  by 
extenuating  words,  and  even  by  a  presidential 

*  Franklin  Pierce. 


LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNER.        275 

message,  which,  like  the  papal  medal,  can  never 
be  forgotten  in  considering  the  perversity  of 
men." 

For  all  these  evils  Mr.  Sumner  recommended 
what  he  styled  "  the  remedy  of  justice  and  peace, 
proposed  by  the  senator  from  New  York,  and 
embodied  in  his  bill.  .  .  .  This  is  sustained  by 
the  prayer  of  the  people  of  the  Territory,  setting 
forth  a  constitution  formed  by  spontaneous  move- 
ment, in  which  all  there  had  opportunity  to  parti- 
cipate, without  distinction  of  party.  ...  In  offer- 
ing this  proposition,  the  senator  from  New  York 
has  entitled  himself  to  the  gratitude  of  the  coun- 
try. Throughout  a  life  of  unsurpassed  industry, 
and  o£  eminent  ability,  he  has  done  much  for 
freedom  which  the  world  will  not  let  die ;  but 
than  this  he  has  done  nothing  more  opportune, 
and  he  has  uttered  no  words  more  effective  than 
this  speech,  so  masterly  and  ingenious,  by  which 
he  vindicated  it." 

During  the  delivery  of  this  speech,  Mr.  Butler, 
of  South  Carolina,  interrupted  the  speaker  no  less 
than  thirty-five  times.  Mr.  Sumner  thus  paid  his 
respects  to  him :  — 

"  With  regret  I  come  again  upon  the  senator 


276  LIFE   OF   CHAELES  SUMNER. 

from  South  Carolina,  who,  omnipresent  in  this 
debate,  overflows  with  rage  at  the  simple  sug- 
gestion that  Kansas  has  applied  for  admission  as 
a  State,  and,  with  incoherent  phrase,  discharges 
the  loose  expectoration  of  his  speech,  now  upon 
her  representative,  and  then  upon  her  people. 
There  was  no  extravagance  of  the  ancient  par- 
liamentary debate  which  he  did  not  repeat ;  nor 
was  there  any  possible  deviation  from  truth 
which  he  did  not  make  —  with  so  much  of  pas- 
sion, I  gladly  add,  as  to  save  him  from  the  sus- 
picion of  intentional  aberration.  But  the  senator 
touches  nothing  which  he  does  not  disfigure  — 
with  error,  sometimes  of  principle,  sometimes 
of  fact.  He  shows  an  incapacity  for  accuracy, 
whether  in  stating  the  Constitution  or  in  stating 
the  law,  whether  in  details  of  statistics  or  diver- 
sions of  scholarship.  He  cannot  ope  his  mouth, 
but  out  there  flies  a  blunder.  .  .  . 

"  But  it  is  against  the  people  of  Kansas  that 
the  sensibilities  of  the  senator  are  particularly 
roused.  Coming,  as  he  announces, '  from  a  State/ 
—  ay,  sir,  from  South  Carolina,  —  he  turns  with 
lordly  disgust  from  this  newly-formed  community, 
which  he  will  not  recognize  as  even  l  a  member 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        277 

of  the  body  politic.'  Pray,  sir,  by  'what  title 
does  he  indulge  in  this  egotism  ?  Has  he  read 
the  history  of  the  i  State  '  which  he  represents  ? 
He  cannot,  surely,  forget  its  shameful  imbecility 
from  slavery,  confessed  throughout  the  Revolu- 
tion, followed  by  its  more  shameful  assumption 
for  slavery  since.  He  cannot  forget  its  wretched 
persistence  in  the  slave-trade,  as  the  very  apple 
of  its  eye,  and  the  condition  of  its  participation 
in  the  Union.  He  cannot  forget  its  constitution, 
which  is  republican  only  in  name,  confirming 
power  in  the  hands  of  the  few,  and  founding  the 
qualifications  of  its  legislators  on  '  a  settled  free- 
hold estate  of  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  ten 
negroes.'  " 

Mr.  Sumner  concludes  with  these  impressive 
words : 

"  In  just  regard  for  free  labor,  which  you  would 
blast  by  deadly  contact  with  slave  labor,  —  in 
Christian  sympathy  with  the  slave,  whom  you 
would  task  and  sell,  —  in  stern  condemnation  of 
the  crime  consummated  on  that  beautiful  soil,  —  in 
rescue  of  fellow- citizens,  now  subjugated  to  tyran- 
nical usurpation,  —  in  dutiful  respect  for  the  early 
fathers,  whose  aspirations  are  ignobly  thwarted, 


278        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

—  in  the  name  of  the  Constitution  outraged,  of  the 
laws  trampled  down,  of  justice  banished,  of  hu- 
manity degraded,  of  peace  destroyed,  of  freedom 
crushed  to  earth,  —  and  in  the  name  of  the  heav- 
enly Father,  whose  service  is  perfect  freedom,  I 
make  this  last  appeal." 

Such  was  this  famous  speech,  —  "a  grand  and 
terrible  philippic,  worthy  of  the  grand  occasion ; 
the  severe  and  awful  truth,  which  the  sharp 
agony  of  the  national  crisis  demanded."  * 

*  J.  G.  Whittier. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE.        279 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

Effect  of  Mr.  Sumner's  Kansas  Speech.  —  Mr. 
Sumner  assaulted.  —  Preston  S.  Brooks. — 
Scene  in  the  House.  —  Retirement  of  Brooks.  — 
Southern  Sympathy.  — Northern  Indignation. — 
Meetings  in  Massachusetts.  —  Faneuil  Hall. — 
Peleg  W.  Chandler. — Josiah  Quincy. — Wendell 
Phillips.  —  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson.  —  Horace 
Mann.  —  Courier  and  Enquirer.  —  Mr.  Sum- 
ner's  Mother. 

IN  the  Senate,  and  in  the  country  at  large,  the 
speech  of  Mr.  Sumner  produced  a  profound  im- 
pression, both  upon  the  foes  and  friends  of 
slavery.  The  former  rejoiced,  the  latter  were 
exasperated.  Those  especially  "  whose  course 
had  been  subjected  to  this  terrible  arraignment 
were  excited  to  madness ;  and  summary  ven- 
geance was  agreed  upon  as  the  only  remedy  that 
would  meet  the  exigency  of  the  hour."  The 
speech  could  not  be  answered  ;  the  speaker  must 


280        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

be  silenced.  Such  is  always  the  last  argument 
of  guilt. 

The  select  agent  of  the  slave  power  to  carry 
out  their  fell  purpose  was  Preston  S.  Brooks,  a 
representative  from  South  Carolina,  and  nephew 
of  Senator  Butler.  After  the  adjournment  of 
the  Senate,  on  the  22d  of  May,  two  days  after 
the  speech,  Mr.  Sumner  remained  at  his  desk 
engaged  in  writing.  While  so  engaged,  Brooks, 
whom  he  did  not  know,  approached  him  and  said, 
"  I  have  read  your  speech  twice  over,  carefully. 
It  is  a  libel  on  South  Carolina,  and  Mr.  Butler, 
who  is  a  relative  of  mine." 

While  these  words*  were  passing  from  his  lips, 
he  commenced  a  series  of  blows  with  a  bludgeon 
upon  the  senator's  head,  by  which  the  latter  was 
stunned,  disabled,  and  smitten  down,  bleeding 
and  insensible,  on  the  floor  of  the  chamber.  From 
that  floor  he  was  taken  by  friends,  borne  to  the 
ante-room,  where  his  wounds  were  dressed,  and 
then  he  was  carried  by  Mr.  Wilson,  assisted  by 
Captain  Darling,  doorkeeper  of  the  House,  faint 
and  bleeding,  to  his  lodgings. 

"  The  injuries  of  Mr.  Sumner  were  serious,  and 
became  the  subject  of  constant  anxiety  to  his 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE.        281 

friends.  It  was  four  years  before  he  was  pro- 
nounced convalescent."  *  He  never  entirely  re- 
covered from  the  effect  of  the  assault,  which  was, 
doubtless,  the  remote  cause  of  his  death,  eighteen 
years  after. 

"  Mr.  Sumner,  though  confessedly  the  superior 
of  his  assailant  in  stature  and  physical  strength, 
sitting  and  cramped  beneath  his  writing-desk, 
over  which  he  was  bending,  with  pen  in  hand, 
taken  unawares  and  at  disadvantage,  and  his 
assailant  raining  blows  upon  his  unprotected 
head,  fairly  represented  Freedom  and  Slavery  as 
they  stood  at  that  time  confronting  each  other. 
Freedom,  though  instrinsically  stronger  than  its 
antagonist,  was  yet  practically  weaker.  .  .  . 

"  In  the  evening  of  the  day  of  the  assault,  the 
Republican  senators  met  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Seward.  In  a  lean  minority,  —  only  one  fifth  of 
the  Senate,  —  they  knew  that  they  were  at  the 
mercy  of  the  majority,  which  was  dominated  by 
the  incensed  and  inexorable  leaders  of  the  slave 
power.  Always  bitter  and  implacable,  they  were 
now  still  more  determined  and  audacious.  Al- 
ways zealous,  their  zeal  was  more  inflamed  by 

*  Wilson. 


282        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

the  fresh  fuel  these  proceedings  would  add. 
What  new  victims  would  be  required,  who  they 
should  be,  and  whom  their  appetite  for  vengeance, 
whetted  by  this  taste  of  blood,  would  select,  they 
knew  not.  Not  unlikely  some  who  gathered 
there,  like  the  disciples  of  John  the  Baptist,  after 
their  master  had  fallen  a  victim  to  a  tyrant's 
power,  felt  that,  though  the  night  was  dark  and 
the  future  was  forbidding,  it  was  no  time  to  despair 
or  to  remit  effort.  Nor  would  they,  without  re- 
monstrance, submit  to  such  an  invasion  of  their 
personal  and  political  rights.  It  was  agreed  that 
Mr.  Wilson  should  call  the  attention  of  the  Senate 
to  the  subject  the  next  day,  and,  unless  some 
member  of  the  dominant  party  should  move  a 
committee  of  investigation,  Mr.  Seward  should 
make  such  motion. 

"  On  the  assembling  of  the  Senate,  amid  deep 
excitement,  crowds  filling  every  available  space 
in  the  Chamber  and  all  its  approaches,  Mr.  Wilson 
rose,  and  having  narrated  briefly  the  facts  of  the 
transaction,  said,  '  Sir,  to  assail  a  member  of  the 
Senate  out  of  this  Chamber  l  for  words  spoken  in 
debate '  is  a  grave  offence,  not  only  against  the 
rights  of  a  senator,  but  the  constitutional  privi- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        283 

leges  of  this  House ;  but,  sir,  to  come  into  this 
Chamber  and  assault  a  member  in  his  seat,  until 
he  falls  exhausted  and  senseless  on  this  floor,  is 
an  offence  requiring  the  prompt  and  decisive  ac- 
tion of  the  Senate.  Senators,  I  have  called  your 
attention  to  this  transaction.  I  submit  no  motion. 
I  leave  it  to  older  senators,  whose  character, 
whose  position  in  this  body  and  before  the 
country,  eminently  fit  them  for  the  task  of  devis- 
ing measures  to  redress  the  wrongs  of  a  member 
of  this  body,  and  to  vindicate  the  honor  and  dig- 
nity of  the  Senate.' 

"  As  no  Democratic  senator  proposed  any  ac- 
tion, Mr.  Seward  offered  a  resolution  for  a  com- 
mittee of  five  members,  to  be  appointed  by  the 
president,  to  inquire  into  the  assault  and  to  report 
the  facts,  together  with  their  opinion  thereon. 
On  motion  of  Mr.  Mason,  the  resolution  was  so 
amended  as  to  provide  that  the  committee  should 
be  chosen  by  the  Senate  ;  and  Pearce  of  Mary- 
land, Cass  of  Michigan,  Dodge  of  Wisconsin,  Allen 
of  Rhode  Island,  and  Geyer  of  Missouri,  were 
selected.  The  committee  was  chosen  wholly 
from  *the  Democratic  party,  and  contained  no  one 
friendly  to  Mr.  Sumner.  The  same  day,  Lewis 


284        LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNEB. 

D.  Campbell  introduced  a  resolution  into  the 
House  of  Representatives  reciting  the  particulars 
of  the  assault,  and  proposing  a  select  committee 
of  five  to  report  such  action  as  might  be  proper 
for  the  vindication  of  the  House.  After  a  brief 
debate,  the  resolution  was  adopted,  and  Campbell 
of  Ohio,  Pennington  of  New  Jersey,  Spinner  of 
New  York,  Cobb  of -Georgia,  and  Greenwood  of 
Arkansas,  were  appointed,  ,  ,  , 

"  The  Senate  committee  reported  want  of  juris- 
diction, because,  it  contended,  l  authority  de- 
volves solely  upon  the  House,  of  which  he  is  a 
member ; '  and  the  Senate  itself  took  no  further 
action. 

"  The  House  committee  entered  at  once  upon 
the  investigation,  and  proceeded  to  examine  the 
witnesses  of  the  transaction.  Visiting  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  at  his  room,  they  took  his  deposition  from  his 
sick  bed.  He  made  substantially  the  same  state- 
ment as  that  already  given,  mentioning  the  addi- 
tional fact  that,  on  coming  to  consciousness, '  he 
saw  Mr.  Douglas  and  Mr.  Toombs  standing  in  the 
Senate,  and  Mr.  Slidell  in  the  anteroom,  from 
which  the  latter  '  retreated  at  once.' 

*'  This  statement  becoming  known,  these  sena* 


LIFE   OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  285 

tors  felt  called  upon  to  make  explanations  of  their 
knowledge  of  the  affair,  and  of  the  course  they 
had  adopted  in  relation  to  it.  Mr.  Slidell,  refer- 
ring to  the  fact  that  he  was  conversing  with  other 
senators,  among  whom  was  Mr.  Douglas,  when  a 
messenger  rushed  in  with  the  intelligence  that 
somebody  was  beating  Mr.  Sumner,  contemptu- 
ously said,  '  We  heard  this  remark  without  any 
particular  emotion.  For  my  part,  I  confess  I  felt 
none.  I  am  not  disposed  to  participate  in  broils 
of  any  kind.  I  remained  very  quietly  in  my  seat. 
The  other  gentleman  did  the  same.  We  did  not 
move/ 

"  He  stated  that,  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  he 
went  into  the  Senate  Chamber,  and  was  told 
that  Mr.  Sumner  was  lying  in  a  state  of  insensi- 
bility. Returning  to  the  anteroom,  and  attempt- 
ing to  pass  out,  he  saw  the  wounded  man  as  he 
was  carried  into  the  anteroom,  l  his  face  covered 
with  blood,  and  evidently  faint  and  weak.'  '  I 
am  not,'  said  Mr.  Slidell,  '  particularly  fond  of 
scenes  of  any  sort.  I  have  no  .associations  or  re- 
lations of  any  kind  with  Mr.  Sumner.  I  have  not 
spoken  to  him  for  two  years.  I  did  not  think  it 
necessary  to  express  any  sympathy  or  make  any 


286  LIFE  OF   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

advances  towards  him.'  Slidell  closed  his  remarks 
by  saying  he  was  free  from  any  participation, 
connection,  or  counsel  in  the  matter. 

"  Douglas,  too,  deemed  it  his  duty  to  make  some 
explanation.  He  said  that  when  the  messenger 
passed  through  the  room,  and  said  somebody  was 
beating  Mr.  Sumner,  '  I  rose  immediately  to  my 
feet.  My  first  impulse  was  to  come  into  the  Sen- 
ate Chamber  and  help  to  put  an  end  to  the  affray 
if  I  could.  But  it  occurred  to  my  mind  in  an  in- 
stant that  my  relations  to  Mr.  Sumner  were  such 
that  if  I  came  into  the  hall  my  motives  would  be 
misconstrued,  perhaps,  and  I  sat  down  again/ 

"  He  stated  that  a  few  moments  afterwards  he 
went  into  the  Senate  Chamber,  and  saw  the 
crowd  gathering  about  Mr.  Sumner,  who  was 
prostrate  on  the  floor.  He  closed  his  remarks  by 
stating  he  did  not  know  that  he  was  in  the  Capi- 
tol, that  he  did  not  know  that  any  man  thought 
of  attacking  him,  and  that  he  had  not  the  slight- 
est suspicion  of  what  was  to  happen. 

"Mr.  Toombs  said,  l  As  for  rendering  Mr.  Sum- 
ner any  assistance,  I  did  not  do  it.'  It  was  also 
given  in  evidence  that  Mr.  Keitt  was  present  at 
the  assault,  not  only  consenting  to  the  action  of 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.  287 

his  colleague,  but  with  violent  demonstrations  and 
profane  expressions  warning  off  all  who  would 
interfere  to  save  the  victim  from  his  assailant.*'  * 

On  the  other  hand,  the  friends  of  freedom  dis- 
played a  tender  and  courageous  sympathy  for  the 
suffering  senator,  and  a  righteous  indignation  at 
the  outrage  committed'. 

Mr.  Wilson,  a  long-tried  and  steadfast  friend, 
was  among  the  first  to  hasten  to  the  side  of  his 
stricken  colleague,  and  to  render  him  every  broth- 
erly attention.  Afterwards,  in  his  place,  he  nobly 
represented  Massachusetts  in  his  denunciation  of 
the  attack  as  "  brutal,  murderous,  and  cowardly.'* 

The  House  committee  brought  in  two  reports ; 
the  majority  recommending  the  expulsion  of 
Brooks,  and  expressing  disapprobation  of  Edmon- 
son  and  Keitt ;  the  minority  pleading  want  of 
jurisdiction. 

Here  also  Massachusetts  vindicated  her  right 
to  utter  her  sentiments  on  the  floor  of  Congress, 
and  defended  her  representative  in  the  other 
Chamber  from  his  assailants,  whether  they  em- 
ployed tongue  or  bludgeon.  Mr.  Burlingame  was 
particularly  bold  and  eloquent.  Of  Mr.  Sumner's 

*  Wilson. 


288        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

speech  he  said,  <  It  was  severe,  because  it  was 
launched  against  tyranny.  It  was  severe,  as 
Chatham  was  severe,  when  he  defended  the  fee- 
ble colonies  against  the  giant  oppression  of  the 
mother  country.  It  was  made  in  the  face  of  a 
hostile  Senate.  It  "was  continued  through  the 
greater  portion  of  two  days ;  and  yet,  during  that 
time,  the  speaker  was  not  once  called  to  order. 
This  fact  is  conclusive  as  to  the  personal  and 
parliamentary  decorum  of  .his  speech.  He  had 
provocation  enough.  His  State  had  been  called 
'  hypocritical.7  He  himself  had  been  called  *  a 
puppy,' '  a  fool,'  i  a  fanatic/  and  l  a  dishonest  man.' 
No  man  knew  better  than  he  did  the  proprieties 
of  the  place,  for  he  had  always  observed  them. 
No  man  knew  better  than  he  did  parliamentary 
law,  because  he  had  made  it  the  study  of  his  life. 
No  man  saw  more  clearly  than  he  did  the  flaming 
sword  of  the  Constitution  turning  every  way, 
guarding  all  the  avenues  of  the  Senate.  But  he 
was  not  thinking  of  these  things;  he  was  not 
thinking  then  of  the  privileges  of  the  Senate,  nor 
of  the  guarantees  of  the  Constitution.  He  was 
there  to  denounce  tyranny  and  crime ;  and  he  did 
it.  He  was  there  to  speak  for  the  rights  of  an 
empire,  and  he  did  it  bravely  and  grandly.7' 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        289 

"  The  House/'  says  Mr.  Wilson,  "  censured 
Keitt,  but  failed  to  condemn  Edmonson.  Keitt 
resigned.  One  hundred  and  twenty-one  mem- 
bers voted  to  expel  Brooks,  and  ninety-five  voted 
against  expulsion.  Having  failed  to  expel,  —  a 
two-thirds  vote  being  necessary,  —  a  vote  of 
censure  was  adopted  by  a  large  majority. 

"  After  these  votes  were  declared,  Mr.  Brooks 
addressed  the  House  in  a  speech  of  mingled  as- 
sumption, insolence,  and  self-conceit.  While  dis- 
claiming all  intention  to  insult  Congress,  the 
Senate,  or  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  he  seemed 
to  be  utterly  oblivious  that  there  had  been  any 
infringement  of  law  or  the  rights  of  others ;  it  be- 
ing simply,  he  said,  '  a  personal  affair,  for  which 
I  -am  personally  responsible.'  With  infinite  ef- 
frontery he  affirmed, '  I  went  to  work  very  deliber- 
ately, as  I  am  charged,  —  and  this  is  admitted,  — 
and  speculated  somewhat  as  to  whether  I  should 
employ  a  horsewhip  or  a  cowhide ;  but  knowing 
that  the  senator  was  my  superior  in  strength,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  he  might  wrest  it  from  my 
hand,  and  then  (for  I  never  attempt  anything  I 
do  not  perform)  I  might  have  been  compelled  to 
do  that  which  I  would  have  regretted  the  balance 
19 


290  LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER. 

of  my  natural  life.'     What  that  contingency  he  so 
coolly  admitted  was,  every  reader  can  conjecture. 

"With  still  greater  assurance  and  self-asser- 
tion, he  claimed,  as  a  matter  of  credit  for  his  for- 
bearance, that  he  had  not  plunged  the  nation  into 
civil  war,  as  if  he  had  held  the  destinies  of  the 
Republic  in  his  hands.  '  In  my  heart  of  hearts/ 
he  said, '  such  a  menacing  line  of  conduct  I  be- 
lieve would  end  in  subverting  this  government 
and  drenching  this  hall  in  blood.  No  act  of 
mine,  on  my  personal  account,  shall  inaugurate* 
revolution ;  but  when  you,  Mr.  Speaker,  return  to 
your  own  home,  and  hear  the  people  of  the  great 
North  —  and  they  are  a  great  people  —  speak  of 
me  as  a  bad  man,  you  will  do  me  the  justice  to 
say  that  a  blow  struck  by  me  at  this  time  would 
be  followed  by  a  revolution ;  and  this  I  know.' 

"  Concluding  his  speech,  he  announced  the 
resignation  of  his  seat,  and  walked  out  of  the 
House." 

One  of  the  saddest  features  of  this  affair  was 
the  general,  in  most  cases  the  enthusiastic,  ap- 
proval accorded  to  Brooks  by  the  Southern  peo- 
ple. The  men  applauded  him,  fair  women  smiled 
upon  him.  Not  only  the  young  "  chivalry,"  but 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        291 

grave  and  reverend  heads,  professors  of  science, 
teachers  of  youth,  and  preachers  of  righteousness, 
joined  in  the  general  jubilation.  There  were,  of 
course,  individual  exceptions  ;  but  the  proofs  of 
an  all  but  universal  satisfaction  with  the  bloody 
deed  are  too  numerous  and  strong  to  be  contro- 
verted. The  South  indorsed  the  act,  and  made 
it  its  own.  South  Carolina  placed  the  crown 
upon  the  head  of  her  censured  representative, 
by  returning  him  immediately  to  Congress,  with 
the  bludgeon  in  his  hand.  Brooks  was  the  hero 
of  the  hour ;  though  later,  he  confessed  that  he 
was  heart- sick  of  the  gifts  and  honors  heaped 
upon  him  as  the  prince  of  bullies. 

Jefferson  Davis,  to  an  invitation  to  attend  a 
public  dinner  in  honor  of  Brooks,  was  not  slow 
to  reply,  "I  have  only  to  express  to  you  my 
sympathy  with  the  feeling  which  prompts  the 
sons  of  Carolina  to  welcome  the  return  of  a 
brother  who  has  been  the  subject  of  vilification, 
misrepresentation,  and  persecution,  because  he 
resented  a  libellous  assault  upon  the  representa- 
tive of  their  mother." 

The  students  and  officers  of  the  University  of 
Virginia  voted  a  cane  to  their  hero,  —  their 


292        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

diploma,  —  expressing  their  sense  of  his  superior 
attainments  in  the  noble  science  of  assault  and 
battery.  Never  was  a  seat  of  learning  prosti- 
tuted to  a  more  ignoble  use. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  which  might  be  greatly 
multiplied,  what  proof  we  have  of  the  power  of 
prejudice,  especially  of  the  blinding,  demoraliz- 
ing influence  of  slavery  !  But  we  gladly  turn 
from  such  exhibitions  of  human  folly  and  frenzy. 

AH  through  the  Free  North  there  sprang  up 
instantly  a  feeling  which  stood  in  marked  and 
most  favorable  contrast  with  these  Southern 
demonstrations.  Slavery  and  freedom  were  more 
and  more  revealing  their  opposite  characters. 
Where  the  latter  prevailed,  the  people,  regard- 
less of  political  differences,  rushed  together  to 
express  their  profound  sense  of  a  great  wrong 
done  to  Liberty.  Massachusetts,  as  most  directly 
assailed,  was  the  most  deeply  moved.  But  every- 
where, every  man  felt  that  in  the  attack  upon 
Mr.  Sumner,  he  himself  had  been  personally 
smitten.  Where  was  free  speech,  where  was 
liberty  of  any  kind,  if  such  deeds  of  violence 
could  be  allowed? 

The  most  important  result  of  this  atrocity  was 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        293 

the  deeper  impression  now  made  upon  the  minds 
of  all  anti-slavery  men,  or  that  now  for  the  first 
time  awakened  among  men  hitherto  indifferent 
or  hostile  to  the  movement  for  freedom  —  that 
slavery  was  the  crowning  shame  and  curse  of 
the  country.  It  was  slavery  that  had  beaten  to 
the  ground  a  representative  of  the  people  —  a  de- 
fender of  liberty ;  and  slavery  must  fall. 

"When/7  said  his  colleague,  Mr.  Wilson,  "I 
lifted  his  bleeding  body  from  the  floor,  and  laid 
him  upon  a  lounge,  and  then  washed  his  blood 
from  my  hands,  I  swore  eternal  vengeance  to 
slavery,  and  consecrated  my  life  anew  to  the 
cause  of  human  freedom."  And  such  was  the 
feeling  in  ten  thousand  hearts,  all  over  the 
North. 

At  a  public  meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall,  Hon.  Peleg 
W.  Chandler  said,  —  and  his  words  were  but 
an  expression  of  the  universal  feeling,  — "  It  is 
precisely  because  I  have  been  and  am  now  his 
personal  friend,  and  it  is  precisely  because  I  have 
been  and  now  am  his  political  opponent,  that  I 
am  here  to-night.  .  .  .  Yet  personal  feelings  are 
of  little  or  no  consequence  in  this  outrage.  It  is 
a  blow  not  merely  at  Massachusetts,  a  blow  not 


294        LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER. 

merely  at  the  name  and  fame  of  our  common 
country,  —  it  is  a  blow  at  constitutional  liberty  all 
the  world  over ;  it  is  a  stab  at  the  cause  of  uni- 
versal freedom.  Whatever  may  be  done  in  this 
matter,  however,  one  thing  is  certain,  one  thing 
is  sure.  The  blood  of  this  Northern  man  now 
stains  the  Senate  floor,  and  let  me  tell  you  that 
not  all  the  water  of  the  Potomac  can  wash  it  out. 
Forever,  forever  and  aye,  that  stain  will  plead  in 
silence  for  liberty  wherever  man  is  enslaved,  for 
humanity  all  over  the  world,  for  truth  and  for 
justice,  now  and  forever." 

The  Hon.  Josiah  Quincy,  then  in  the  eighty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age,  said,  in  a  meeting  at 
Quincy, — 

"  The  blow  struck  upon  the  head  of  Charles 
Sumner  did  not  fall  upon  him  alone.  It  was  a 
blow  purposely  aimed  at  the  North.  It  was  a 
blow  struck  at  the  very  Tree  of  Liberty.  It 
speaks  to  us  in  words  not  to  be  mistaken.  It 
says  to  us  that  Northern  men  shall  not  be  heard 
in-  the  halls  of  Congress,  except  at  the  point  of 
the  bowie-knife,  the  bludgeon,  and  revolver. 

"  The  bludgeon,  heretofore  only  brandished, 
has  at  last  been  brought  down.  Charles  Sumner 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        295 

needs  not  our  sympathy ;  if  he  dies,  his  name 
will  be  immortal  —  his  name  will  be  enrolled 
with  the  names  of  Warren,  Sidney,  and  Russell ; 
if  he  lives,  he  is  destined  to  be  the  light  of  the 
nation." 

At  another  meeting  in  Boston,  Wendell  Phillips 
spoke  with  even  more  than  his  wonted  elo- 
quence. 

"  Nobody,"  he  said,  "  needs  now  to  read  this 
speech  of  Charles  Sumner  to  learn  whether  it  is 
good.  We  measure  the  amount  of  the  charge 
by  the  length  of  the  rebound.  When  the  spear, 
driven  to  the  quick,  makes  the  devil  start  up  in 
his  own  -likeness,  we  may  be  sure  it  is  the  spear 
of  Ithuriel.  That  is  my  way  of  measuring  the 
speech  which  has  produced  this  glorious  result. 
0,  yes,  glorious !  for  the  world  will  yet  cover 
every  one  of  those  scars  with  laurels.  Sir,  he 
must  not  die  !  We  need  him  yet,  as  the  van- 
guard leader  of  the  hosts  of  Liberty.  Nay,  he 
shall  yet  come  forth  from  that  sick  chamber,  and 
every  gallant  heart  in  the  Commonwealth  be 
ready  to  kiss  his  very  footsteps." 

Referring  to  what  some  had  regarded  as 
coarseness  in  one  of  Mr.  Sumner's  comparisons, 


296        LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNER. 

Mr.  Phillips  said,  "  In  utter  scorn  of  the  sickly 
taste,  of  the  effeminate  scholarship  that  starts 
back  in  delicate  horror  at  a  bold  illustration,  1 
dare  to  say  there  is  no  animal  God  has  con- 
descended to  make,  that  man  may  not  venture 
to  name.  And  if  any  ground  of  complaint  is 
supposable  in  regard  to  this  comparison,  which 
shocks  the  delicacy  of  some  men  and  some 
presses,  it  is  the  animal,  not  Mr.  Douglas,  that 
has  reason  to  complain.  ...  I  place  the  foot  of 
my  uttermost  contempt  on  those  members  of  the 
press  in  Boston  that  have  anything  to  say  in 
criticism  of  his  language,  while  he  lies  there  pros- 
trate and  speechless  —  our  champion,  beaten  to 
the  ground  for  the  noblest  word  Massachusetts 
ever  spoke  in  the  Senate." 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  in  a  speech  at  Concord, 
said,  "  Well,  sir,  this  noble  head,  so  comely  and 
so  wise,  must  be  a  target  for  a  pair  of  bullies  to 
beat  with  clubs  !  The  murderer's  brand  shall 
stamp  their  foreheads,  wherever  they  may  wan- 
der in  the  earth. 

"  But  I  wish,  sir,  that  the  high  respects  of  this 
meeting  shall  be  expressed  to  Mr.  Sumner.  .  .  . 
I  wish  that  he  may  know  the  shudder  of  ter- 


LIFE  OP   CHARLES  SUMNE' :.  297 

ror  that  ran  through  all  this  community  on  the 
first  tidings  of  this  brutal  attack.  Let  him  hear 
that  every  man  of  worth  in  New  England  loves 
his  virtues,  —  that  every  mother  thinks  of  him 
as  the  protector  of  families, — that  every  friend 
of  freedom  thinks  him  the  friend  of  freedom." 

Horace  Mann,  his  early  and  devoted  friend, 
wrote  to  Mr.  Sumner,  "We  are  wounded  in 
your  wounds,  and  bleed  in  your  bleeding." 
Writing  later,  he  said,  "  It  is  impossible  to  tell 
how  much  we  have  felt  for  you  —  sorrow,  admi- 
ration, hope,  affection  for  you  ;  grief,  indignation) 
contempt,  abhorrence  for  the  malefactor.  Mrs. 
Mann  read  one  account  of  the  outrage,  and 
could  never  read  another.  She  said  she  felt  the 
concussion  of  the  blows  all  through  her  brain." 

The  legislature  of  Massachusetts  passed  a  se- 
ries of  resolves  concerning  the  assault,  describ- 
ing it  as  "  brutal  and  cowardly  in  itself,  a  gross 
breach  of  parliamentary  privilege,  a  ruthless 
attack  upon  the  liberty  of  speech,  an  outrage  of 
the  decencies  of  civilized  life,  and  an  indignity 
to  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts." 

They  demanded  of  the  national  Congress  "  a 
prompt  and  strict  investigation  "  of  the  affair, 


298        LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER. 

and  the  expulsion  of  Brooks  and  any  other  mem- 
ber concerned  with  him  in  the  assault. 

Beyond  Massachusetts,  everywhere  but  at  the 
South,  a  similar  feeling  was  manifested.  Gov- 
ernor Clark,  of  New  York,  wrote  to  Mr.  Sumner, 
expressing  his  abhorrence  of  the  assault,  and  his 
personal  sympathy  with  the  sufferer. 

In  New  York  an  "  immense  meeting,  and 
unprecedented  in  character,"  declared  the  con- 
duct of  Brooks  to  have  been  "brutal,  murder- 
ous, and  cowardly.7' 

An  editorial  in  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  of 
New  York,  admirably  summed  up  the  moral 
result  of  the  act  of  Brooks  :  — 

"  The  fact  is  incontestable,  that  when  the 
Massachusetts  senator  again  crosses  the  thresh- 
hold  of  that  Senate  Chamber,  slavery  will  have 
to  confront  the  most  formidable  foe  it  ever  had  to 
face  before  the  public  eye.  He  will  come  with 
every  muscle  braced  and  every  sinew  strung  by 
the  sense  of  measureless  personal  wrong ;  but, 
infinitely  more  than  that,  he  will  come  armed  with 
the  indignation  and  shielded  by  the  moral  sup- 
port of  the  whole  North.  Hitherto  he  has  fig- 
ured but  in  one  character  —  the  assailant  of 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        299 

slavery ;  henceforth  he  will  be  also  the  accredited 
assertor  and  champion  of  the  most  sacred  right 
of  freedom  of  speech,  and  as  such  will  command 
tenfold  greater  consideration.  His  antagonists 
have  affected  to  despise  him  before,  and  to  treat 
him  with  scorn.  The  day  for  that  has  passed. 
The  public  man,  who  has  once  been  the  occasion 
of  such  an  outburst  of  sympathy  and  good- will 
as  has  within  the  last  week  sprung  from  the 
mouth  of  millions  upon  millions  of  his  country- 
men, is  no  longer  a  man  to  be  disdained.  He 
has  henceforth  position,  power,  and  security  be- 
yond any  of  his  adversaries."  A  true  prophe- 
cy, in  due  time  to  be  fulfilled  to  the  letter. 

The  expressions  of  regard  and  sympathy 
which  came  to  Mr.  Sumner  from  so  many 
quarters  must  have  been  peculiarly  grateful  to 
his  heart.  He  received  them  as  proofs  both  of 
personal  friendship  and  of  interest  in  the  cause 
in  which  his  life  had  been  imperilled.  But  there 
were  other  testimonials,  which,  though  he  was 
grateful  for  the  sentiment  which  prompted  them, 
he  felt  constrained  instantly  to  decline.  One  was 
the  payment  by  the  State  of  the  expense  of  his 
illness,  which  was  recommended  by  the  governor 


300        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

to  the  legislature  ;  the  other  "  a  massive  and 
elaborate  silver  vase,  bearing  upon  its  summit  a 
figure  representing  Charles  Sumner  holding  his 
Kansas  Speech  in  his  right  hand,"  with  other 
elegant  artistic  designs. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Sumner  learned  that  these  were 
in  progress,  he  courteously,  but  firmly,  refused 
them,  expressing  his  wish  that  the  money  de- 
signed to  be  thus  appropriated  might  be  applied 
for  the  benefit  of  Kansas. 

Throughout  this  terrible  scene  there  was  one 
heart  upon  which  fell  a  burden  of  anxiety  and 
grief  peculiarly  its  own.  It  was  the  heart  of  the 
.mother.  She  was  then  living  in  Boston,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one,  a  widow,  and  already  be- 
reaved of  several  children.  The  tidings  which 
flew  over  the  wires  that  her  noble  son,  who  had 
spoken  so  truly  and  bravely,  was  a  dreadful 
sufferer  from  blows  which  might  prove  fatal, 
must  have  pierced  her  heart  as  with  a  sword. 
Ah,  how  she  wished  to  fly  to  him,  that  she  might 
watch  over  him  as  only  a  mother  can,  and  tell 
him  how  much  she  loved  him,  how  proud  she  was 
of  him ;  or  if,  as  her  fears  might  suggest,  he 
should  not  recover,  that  a  mother's  hand  might 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        301 

perform  the  last  sad  offices.  What  anxious  hours 
were  hers  between  the  first  news  of  his  being 
smitten  and  the  better  tidings  that  he  would 
not  die. 

We  are  glad  to  know,  from  the  testimony  of 
her  pastor,  that  she  bore  the  great  trial  with 
Christian  patience,  worthy  the  mother  of  such  a 
son.  And  besides  the  supports  of  religion,  she 
had  this  strong  consolation,  that  he  had  suffered 
because  of  his  fidelity  to  his  convictions  in  the 
cause  of  humanity. 

As  to  the  son,  in  those  moments  when  murder- 
ous strokes  were  raining  upon  him,  how  must  his 
mind  have  flown  to  that  mother  —  sadder,  no 
doubt,  for  her  sake,  than  for  his  own. 

Thank  God,  it  was  to  be  his  privilege,  in  after 
years,  to  be  with  that  fond  mother  when  "  heart 
and  flesh  were  failing  "  her. 


302        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

Mr.  Sumner's  Health.  —  Best  necessary.  —  Return 
to  Boston.  —  Welcome  Reception.  —  His  Tribute 
to  Henry  Wilson.  —  Reception  given  to  Brooks. 
—  Re-election  of  Mr.  Sumner.  —  Six  Tears7 
Changes.  —  Letter  of  Acceptance.  —  Letter  to 
a  Friend.  —  Sails  for  Europe.  —  Letter.  —  Re- 
turn.—  To  Europe  again.  —  Meets  De  Tocque- 
ville.  —  Brown-Sequard.  —  Saved  by  "  Fire."  — 
Letter.  —  Cured.  —  Returns  to  the  Senate.  — 
Changes. 

MR.  SUMNER  has  disappeared  from  the  Senate, 
but  he  has  not  finished  his  course.  He  has  yet 
other  battles  to  fight,  other  triumphs  to  win. 
And  his  long  silence  of  four  suffering  years 
shall  plead  eloquently  for  the  cause  which  he 
has  so  much  at  heart. 

Mr.  Sumner  hoped  that,  after  a  few  weeks  of 
absence,  he  would  be  able  to  resume  his  seat  in 
the  Senate.  But  the  injuries  he  had  received 
proved  to  be  far  too  serious  to  allow  a  speedy 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER.        303 

return.  Fever  ensued,  followed  by  extreme  ex- 
haustion, and  "  for  three  days  he  was  in  a  critical 
situation."  The  case  was  a  "  formidable  "  one. 
It  was  weeks  before  the  wounds  were  closed. 
Pains  in  the  head  came  on  in  paroxysms.  Then 
ensued  "  a  feeling  of  oppressive  weight  or  pres- 
sure on  the  brain,  as  of  '  a  fifty- six  pound 
weight '  upon  his  head.  At  the  same  time  he  lost 
flesh  and  strength,  his  appetite  was  irregular, 
and  his  nights  wakeful.  Every  step  he  took 
seemed  to  produce  a  shock  upon  his  brain. 
His  walk  was  irregular  and  uncertain,  and  after 
slight  efforts  he  would  lose  almost  entire  control 
of  the  lower  extremities."  Such  was  the  report 
of  Dr.  Perry. 

It  was  certain  that  an  entire  suspension  of 
mental  labor  was  necessary.  There  must  be 
perfect  rest,  with  the  most  careful  medical 
treatment.  Several  months  were  spent  in  this 
way,  chiefly  at  Philadelphia  and  Cape  May. 

In  November,  nearly  six  months  after  he  was 
struck,  Mr.  Sumner  was  so  far  recovered  that  he 
was  able  to  return  to  his  home  in  Boston.  The 
public  reception  then  given  him  was  most  hearty 
and  enthusiastic.  Everybody  came  out  to  greet 


304  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

him.  As  his  carriage  passed  through  the  streets, 
he  was  cheered  by  sympathizing  multitudes, 
while  the  ladies  "  showered  their  bouquets  upon 
him  from  sidewalks  and  windows." 

Mr.  Sumner  was  able  to  speak  but  a  few 
words.  Addressing  the  governor,  he  said,  — 

"  I  thank  you  for  this  welcome.  I  thank,  also, 
the  distinguished  gentlemen  who  have  honored 
this  occasion  by  their  presence.  I  thank,  too, 
these  swelling  multitudes  who  contribute  to  me 
the  strength  and  succor  of  their  sympathies ; 
and  my  soul  overflows  especially  to  the  young 
men  of  Boston,  out  of  whose  hearts,  as  from  an 
exuberant  fountain,  this  broad- spreading  hospi- 
tality took  its  rise." 

In  that  part  of  his  address  which  he  had  not 
strength  to  deliver,  but  which  afterwards  ap- 
peared in  the  journals,  Mr.  Sumner  spoke  of  his 
feelings  under  an  enforced  absence  from  Wash- 
ington :  — 

"  More  than  five  months  have  passed  since  I 
was  disabled  from  the  performance  of  my  public 
duties.  During  this  weary  period  I  have  been 
constrained  to  repeat  daily  the  lesson  of  renun- 
ciation —  confined  at  first  to  my  bed,  and  then 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEK.        305 


slowly  regiakii^g:  the  power  even  to  walk. 
But,  beyond  the  constant,  irrepressible  grief 
which  must  well  up  in  the  breast  of  every 
patriot,  as  he  discerns  the  present  condition 
of  his  country,  my  chief  sorrow  has  been  caused 
by  the  necessity  to  which  I  was  doomed,  of  re- 
nouncing all  part  in  the  contest  for  human  rights, 
which,  beginning  in  Congress,  has  since  envel- 
oped the  whole  land.  .  .  .  From  day  to  day  and 
week  to  week  I  vainly  sought  that  health  which 
we  value  most  when  lost,  and  which  perpetually 
eluded  my  pursuit.  For  health  I  strove,  for 
health  I  prayed.  With  uncertain  steps  I  sought 
it  at  the  sea-  shore,  and  I  sought  it  on  the  moun- 
tain-top. 

Two  voices  are  there  :  one  is  of  the  sea, 
One  of  the  mountains  ;  each  a  mighty  voice  : 
In  both  from  age  to  age  thou  didst  rejoice  ; 
They  were  thy  chosen  music,  Liberty  !  ' 

I  listened  to  the  admonitions  of  medical  skill, 
as  I  courted  all  the  bracing  influences  of  nature, 
while  time  passed  without  the  accustomed  heal- 
ing on  its  wings." 

In  the   course   of   his   remarks,  Mr.   Sumner 
paid   a   deserved   tribute   to   the   worth   of  his* 
20 


Of 

11  able,  generous,  and  i^riv§M£ssieague, 
Wilson." 

"  Together  we  labored  in  mutual  trust,  hon- 
orably leaning  upon  each  other.  By  my  dis- 
ability he  was  left  sole  representative  of  Massa- 
chusetts on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  throughout 
months  of  heated  contest,  involving  her  good 
name  and  most  cherished  sentiments.  All  who 
watched  the  current  of  debate,  even  as  imper- 
fectly as  I  did  in  my  retirement,  know  with  what 
readiness,  courage,  and  power  he  acted,  —  show- 
ing himself,  by  extraordinary  energies,  equal  to 
the  extraordinary  occasion.  But  it  is  my  es- 
pecial happiness  to  recognize  his  unfailing  sym- 
pathies for  myself,  and  his  manly  assumption  of 
all  the  responsibilities  of  the  hour." 

In  conclusion,  Mr.  Sumner  said,  — 

"  With  thanks  for  this  welcome,  accept  also  my 
new  vows  of  duty.  In  all  simplicity  let  me  say 
that  I  seek  nothing  but  the  triumph  of  truth. 
To  this  I  offer  my  best  efforts,  careless  of  office 
or  honor.  Show  me  that  I  am  wrong,  and  I 
stop  at  once  ;  but  in  the  complete  conviction  of 
right,  I  shall  persevere  against  all  temptations, 
against  all  odds,  ag  >inst  all  perils,  against  all 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.         307 

threats,  —  knowing  well,  that  whatever  may  be 
my  fate,  the  Right  will  surely  prevail.  Terres- 
trial place  is  determined  by  celestial  observation. 
Only  by  watching  the  stars  can  the  mariner  safe- 
ly pursue  his  course ;  and  it  is  only  by  obeying 
those  lofty  principles  which  are  above  men  and 
human  passion,  that  we  can  make  our  way  safely 
through  the  duties  of  life.  In  such  obedience  I 
hope  to  live,  while,  as  a  servant  of  Massachusetts, 
I  avoid  no  labor,  shrink  from  no  exposure,  and 
complain  of  no  hardship." 

When  Brooks  returned  to  histiative  city,  he  was 
warmly  welcomed.  But  how  marked  the  contrast 
with  the  present  reception  !  Brooks  was  lauded 
and  caressed  as  the  hero  of  slavery,  for  a  deed  of 
mingled  cruelty  and  cowardice;  Mr.  Sumner,  as 
the  champion  of  freedom,  for  brave  words  spoken 
in  behalf  of  an  oppressed  community  —  the  one 
as  the  assailant,  the  other  as  the  martyr,  of  lib- 
erty. Mr.  Sumner  had  no  subsequent  occasion  to 
be  "  heart- sick  "  of  the  honors  heaped  upon  him.  , 

Among  those  who  gave  welcome  to  Mr.  Sum- 
ner, none  rejoiced  like  the  aged  mother,  as  with 
tears  and  smiles  she  embraced  once  more  her  son, 
given  to  her,  as  it  were,  from  the  dead.  With 


308        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

what  motherly  pride  she  looked  out  from  her  win- 
dow to  see  the  crowds  assembled  to  do  him  honor, 
and  heard  the  loud  cheers  that  went  up  in  praise 
of  his  righteous  conduct ! 

To  give  joy  to  a  mother's  heart  by  an  honora- 
ble and  useful  career,  though  in  a  sphere  humbler 
than  the  great  senator's,  is  worth  the  serious  en- 
deavor of  any  young  man.  To  be  regardless  of 
a  mother's  feelings,  in  a  life  of  vice  and  dissipa- 
tion, proves  the  absence  of  all  true  nobility  of 
character. 

In  Boston  and  vicinity  Mr.  Sumner  spent  sev- 
eral months  under  medical  treatment,  compelled 
to  pass  much  of  the  time  in  bed.  But  still  his 
health  seemed  to  improve,  so  that  his  physician 
could  say,  "  Time  and  repose  will  do  the  rest." 

His  term  of  office  had  now  expired,  but  Massa- 
chusetts would  not  dismiss  him  from  her  service. 
Who  could  take  the  place  of  Charles  Sumner  ? 
For  six  years  he  had  maintained  the  honor  of  the 
old  Commonwealth  and  the  cause  of  freedom, 
amidst  contempt,  abuse,  menace,  and  peril  of 
life,  with  an  ability,  an  eloquence,  a  fidelity,  a 
purity  of  purpose,  and  a  conscientious  regard  to 
truth  and  justice,  unsurpassed  in  senatorial  his- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMMER.        309 

tory.  And  had  he  not  suffered  as  the  representa- 
tive of  Massachusetts?  Every  heart  cried  out 
for  his  re-election,  and  when  the  vote  was  count- 
ed, January  9,  1857,  he  had  received  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-three  out  of  three  hundred  and 
forty-five  votes  in  the  House,  and  the  entire  vote 
of  the  Senate. 

Six  years  before,  he  was  elected  by  a  bare  ma- 
jority of  two  votes ;  now  he  is  returned  by  a 
"  spontaneous  unanimity."  Then  he  was  in  the 
vigor  of  his  young  manhood ;  now  he  is  an  inva- 
lid, too  feeble  to  take  his  seat,  and  compelled 
even  to  leave  his  country  in  search  of  strength. 
But  whether  silent  in  his  seat,  prostrate  upon  his 
bed,  or  a  wanderer  in  foreign  lands,  he  is  the. 
Commonwealth's  chosen  champion.  His  vacant 
seat  will  tell  a  daily  story  of  wrong  and  out- 
rage, and  thus  utter  its  eloquent  condemnation 
of  a  system  founded  in  and  defended  by  violence. 
Such  a  man  can  never  be  silent. 

In  Mr.  Sumner's  letter  of  acceptance  he  said, 
"  This  renewed  trust  I  accept  with  gratitude, 
enhanced  by  the  peculiar  circumstances  under 
which  it  is  bestowed.  But  far  beyond  any  per- 
sonal gratification  is  the  delight  of  knowing,  by 


310        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

this  sign,  that  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  for- 
getting ancient  party  hates,  have  at  last  come 
together  in  fraternal  support  of  a  sacred  cause, 
compared  with  which  the  fate  of  any  public  ser- 
vant is  of  small  account. J; 

In  February,  1857,  towards  the  close  of  the 
session,  he  returned  to  Washington,  and  was 
again  in  his  seat ;  but,  March  1,  he  wrote  to  a 
friend,  "  I  have  sat  in  my  seat  only  on  one  day. 
After  a  short  time  the  torment  to  my  system  be- 
came great,  and  a  cloud  began  to  gather  over  my 
brain.  I  tottered  out,  and  took  to  my  bed.  I 
long  to  speak,  but  I  cannot.  Sorrowfully  I  resign 
myself  to  my  condition.  .  .  . 

"  What  I  can  say  must  stand  adjourned  to  anoth- 
er day.  Nobody  can  regret  this  so  much  as  my- 
self, and  my  unhappiness  will  be  increased  if  I 
have  not  your  sympathy  in  this  delay. 

"  I  may  die ;  but  if  I  live,  a  word  shall  be 
spoken  in  the  Senate  which  shall  tear  slavery 
open  from  its  chops  to  its  heels.  .  .  . 

"  Till  then,  patience." 

Warned  by  his  medical  advisers  to  seek  rest 
abroad,  Mr.  Sumner  set  sail  for  Europe  on  March 
7,  1857.  From  on  board  the  steamship  he  spoke 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        311 

"  a  last  word  for  Kansas,"  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Ked- 
path.  "  With  a  farewell  to  my  country,  as  I  seek 
a  foreign  land,  hoping  for  health  long  deferred,  I 
give  my  last  thoughts  to  suffering  Kansas,  not 
without  devout  prayers  that  the  ruffian  usurpa- 
tion which  now  treads  her  down  may  be  peace- 
ably overthrown,  and  that  she  may  be  lifted  into 
the  enjoyment  of  freedom  and  repose.77 

While  absent,  he  made  his  restoration  to  health 
his  daily  care.  He  received  the  best  medical  ad- 
vice, to  which  he  faithfully  submitted.  He  trav- 
elled, as  strength  would  allow,  in  France,  Swit- 
zerland, England,  and  Scotland.  He  had  the 
pleasure  of  feeling'that  he  was  really  improving, 
though  amid  frequent  relapses.  From  Heidel- 
berg, September  11,  he  wrote  to  a  friend  in  an 
encouraging  strain :  — 

"  Weeks  have  now  passed  since  I  have  seen  a 
letter  or  newspaper  from  home.  During  this 
time  I  have  been  travelling  away  from  news,  and 
am  now  famished.  On  arrival  at  Antwerp  I  trust 
to  find  letters  at  last. 

"  I  have  been  ransacking  Switzerland ;  I  have 
visited  most  of  its  lakes,  and  crossed  several  of 
its  mountains,  mule -back.  My  strength  has  not 


312        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  8UMNER. 

allowed  me  to  venture  upon  any  of  those  foot  ex- 
peditions, the  charm  of  Swiss  travel,  by  which 
you  reach  places  out  of  the  way ;  but  I  have  seen 
much,  and  have  gained  health  constantly. 

"  I  have  crossed  the  Alps  by  the  St.  Glothard, 
and  then  recrossed  by  the  Great  St.  Bernard, 
passing  a  night  with  the  monks  and  dogs.  I  have 
spent  a  day  at  the  foot  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  an- 
other on  the  wonderful  Lake  Leman.  I  have 
been  in  the  Pyrenees,  in  the  Alps,  in  the  Chan- 
nel Islands.  You  will  next  hear  of  me  in  the 
Highlands  of  Scotland. 

"  I  see  our  politics  now  in  distant  perspective, 
and  I  am  more  than  ever  satisfied  that  our  course 
is  right.  It  is  slavery  which  degrades  our  coun- 
try, and  prevents  its  example  from  being  all- 
conquering.  In  fighting  our  battle  at  home,  we 
fight  the  battle  of  Freedom  everywhere.  Be 
assured,  I  shall  return,  not  only  with  renewed 
strength,  but  with  renewed  determination  to  give 
myself  to  our  great  cause."  - 

Against  the  advice  of  eminent  physicians,  Mr. 
Sumner  resolved  to  attempt  the  resumption  of  his 
official  duties.  In  December,  1857,  he  was  once 
more  in  his  seat. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        313 

But  a  trial  of  his  strength  convinced  him  that 
he  was  yet  far  from  being  well.  His  disease  had, 
indeed,  assumed  new  and  alarming  features. 
Once  more  he  must  quit  the  Senate  Chamber  to 
seek  rest  and  medical  help  abroad.  In  May, 
1858,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic. 

In  Paris  he  had  the  sympathy  of  noble  men, 
among  whom  was  De  Tocqueville.  "  Nous  nous 
sommes  occupes  de  vous  beaucoup  dernicrement" 
said  this  great  man  to  Mr.  Sumner,  who  replied, 
"  Ah,  monsieur,  je  me  suis  occupe  de  vous  toute 
ma  vie."  * 

But  above  all  it  was  his  good  providence  to 
meet  the  most  *  skilful  physician  of  the  age  — 
Brown-Sequard.  At  last  he  had  found  a  healer. 
But  at  what  a  cost  of  pain,  even  to  agony,  was  a 
cure  to  come  !  He  was  to  be  saved  by  "  fire." 

We  cannot  do  better  here  than  give  some  ex- 
tracts from  a  lecture,  —  one  of  a  course  at  the 
Lowell  Institute,  in  Boston,  —  by  Brown-Sequard, 
just  after  Mr.  Sumner's  death,  as  reported  in 
the  Daily  Journal.  The  subject  for  the  evening 
was  "  Nervous  Diseases,"  and  the  lecturer  took 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  thus  presented  him 

*  "  We  have  had  you  upon  our  minds  a  great  deal  of  late. 
"  Ah,  sir,  I  have  had  you  in  my  mind  all  my  life." 


314        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

of  adding  a  word  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  his 
patient  and  friend,  and  paid  one  of  the  truest  and 
most  delicate  compliments  to  his  name  that  has 
yet  been  given.  He  was  very  deeply  affected, 
even  to  tears,  in  which  many  of  the  audience 
joined.  He  began  as  follows  :  — 

"  In  this,  my  fifth  lecture  here,  I  have  to  beg 
your  forgiveness  for  being  moved.  Since  1857 
the  great  man  who  has  left  us  has  been  under  my 
care,  and  been  also  my  very  dear  friend.  I  sym- 
pathized in  every  one  of  the  generous  impulses 
which'have  aided  in  raising  him  to  such  a  high 
place  of  influence  in  his  country,  and  therefore  it 
is  very  easy  for  you  to  understand  that  I  am  now 
hardly  able  to  say  more  about  his  greatness,  and 
the  blow  which  our  country  and  you,  in  this  tran- 
sition, have  suffered.  In  a  moment,  when  I  am  a 
little  more  in  control  of  my  nerves,  I  will  have  to 
say  something  else  about  him  —  something  which 
I  never  mentioned  in  his  life.  I  knew  that  the 
modesty,  by  far  greater  in  him  than  anybody 
knew  to  exist,  would  have  been  wounded  if  I 
had  spoken  as  I  will  when  I  am  more  free  in  my 
thought  and  in  the  articulation  of  my  voice." 
He  then  proceeded,  for  a  few  moments,  in  the 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.       315 

consideration  of  the  subject  of  his  lecture,  which 
was  in  regard  to  the  nervous  system.  He  con- 
tinued :  — 

"  When  Mr.  Sumner  first  came  under  my  care, 
he  was  suffering  from  a  derangement  of  some 
fibres  of  the  nerves.  As  you  all  know,  he  had 
received  a  blow  upon  the  head.  His  spine,  as  he 
was  sitting,  was  bent  in  two  places.  His  bent 
spine  had  produced  the  effects  of  a  sprain ;  and 
when  I  saw  him  in  Paris  he  had  recovered  alto- 
gether from  the  first  effects  of  the  blow.  He  had 
then  two  troubles :  one  was,  that  he  could  not 
make  use  of  his  brain  at  all.  He  could  not  read 
a  newspaper  or  write  a  letter.  He  was  in  a  fear- 
ful state.  It  seemed  to  him  as  if  his  head  would 
explode,  as  if  there  was  some  great  force  in  it 
pushing  the  parts  away  from  each  other.  Indeed, 
his  emotions  were  fearful  to  me.  Often,  in  con- 
versation, if  anything  was  said"  calling  for  any 
degree  of  deep  thought,  he  suffered  intensely 
immediately,  so  that  we  had  to  be  extremely 
careful  with  him.  He  had  another  trouble,  of  the 
same  nature  as  regards  external  appearances,  but 
occupying  another  portion  of  the  spine,  and  caus- 
ing other  symptoms.  It  was  a  sprain  at  the  level 


316        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

of  the  last  dorsal  vertebra.  The  irritation  there 
was  intense,  and  any  motion  was  extremely  hard. 
When  he  walked,  he  had  to  push  forward  his  right 
foot  and  then  his  left,  holding  on  all  the  while  to 
his  back  with  both  hands  to  relieve  the  pain.  It 
had  been  thought  that  he  was  paralyzed  as  to  his 
lower  limbs ;  it  had  been  thought  that  he  had  a 
disease  of  the  brain,  and  that  was  regarded  as 
being  the  cause  of  the  paralysis  of  the  lower 
limbs.  Fortunately  the  discovery  made  with  re- 
gard to  the  vaso-motor  nerves  led  me  at  once  to 
find  that  he  had  no  disease  of  the  brain  and  no 
paralysis.  He  had  only  an  irritation  of  the  vaso- 
motor  nerves,  at  their  exit  from  the  spine.  When 
I  asked  him  if  he  was  conscious  of  any  weakness 
in  his  limbs,  he  said,  l  Certainly  not ;  I  only  can- 
not walk  on  account  of  the  pain.'  What  was  to 
to  be  done  then  was  to  apply  counter-irritation 
on  these  two  sprains ;  the  only  point  which  has 
led  me  to  speak  of  this.  I  told  him  the  best  plan 
of  treatment  would  consist  in  the  application  of 
moxa,  the  most  painful  application  to  the  skin.  I 
asked  him  if  he  would  not  take  chloroform  to  dull 
the  pain  or  remove  it  altogether.  I  shall  always 
remember  his  impressive  assent  when  I  had  said 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER.       317 

that.  He  said, '  Doctor,  if  you  can  say  positively 
that  I  shall  derive  just  as  much  benefit  if  I  take 
chloroform  as  if  I  do  not,  then  I  will  take  chloro- 
form ;  but  if  there  is  to  be  any  degree  whatever 
of  greater  amelioration  in  case  I  don't  take  chlo- 
roform, then  I  shall  not  take  it.'  I  didn't  have 
the  courage  to  deceive  him.  I  told  him  there 
would  be  more  good  if  he  didn't  take  chloroform. 
So  I  had  to  submit  him  to  the  martyrdom  of  the 
greatest  suffering  that  can  be  inflicted  by  medi- 
cal practice,  and  burned  him.  I  thought  that, 
after  the  torture  of  the  first  time,  he  would  then 
resort  to  chloroform ;  but  for  five  times  after, 
in  accordance  with  his  own  determination,  the 
operation  was  performed  without  it.  I  never  saw 
a  patient  before  that  would  submit  to  such  a 
thing.  The  only  explanation  for  his  conduct  was 
this :  at  that  time  he  was  much  abused.  Report 
had  reached  him  that  some  of  his  countrymen  at 
home  considered  that  he  was  amusing  himself 
in  Paris,  pretending  to  be  ill ;  and  he  wanted  to 
return  as  quickly  as  possible.  A  few  days,  there- 
fore, were  of  great  importance  to  him;  so  he 
passed  through  all  that  terrible  and  most  intense 
suffering,  the  greatest  I  have  ever  had  the  mis- 


318         LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

fortune  to  inflict,  be  it  upon  man  or  animal.  I 
have  mentioned  it  on  this  account,  only  to  show 
what  kind  of  a  man  he  was.  And  I  will  only  add 
that  I  have  seen  him  always  since  to  be  ready  to 
submit  to  anything  for  the  sake  of  what  he 
thought  was  right,  and  in  other  spheres  you  all 
know  that  such  was  his  character  about  every- 
thing." 

At  this  point  the  speaker  was  completely  over- 
come by  his  emotion,  and,  begging  permission  to 
defer  the  remainder  of  his  lecture  to  another 
time,  he  hastily  withdrew  from  the  stage. 

Another  account  adds,  that  when  Mr.  Sumner 
called  on  Brown- Sequard,  he  asked  what  kind  of 
remedy  would  be  used,  to  which  the  doctor  re- 
plied, "  Fire."  The  patient'  instantly  accepted 
the  harsh  remedy,  and  when  the  next  day  was 
proposed  as  the  time  for  its  first  application,  he 
insisted  upon  that  very  afternoon. 

Here  was  more  than  physical  courage  —  here 
was  moral  bravery  of  the  highest  kind  ;  for  with 
Mr.  Sumner,  a  cure  was  not  merely  the  sweet  re- 
newal of  health,  but  the  certainty  of  putting  on 
again  his  armor  in  the  defence  of  a  cause  dearer 
to  him  than  life.  He  was  eager  for  the  conflict. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        319 

After  a  time  Mr.  Sumner  left  Paris  for  the 
South  of  France,  still  undergoing  daily  the  most 
severe  treatment.  From  a  letter  to  a  friend, 
written  September  11,  1858,  we  learn  how  he 
now  spent  his  time,  and  what  were  his  feel- 
ings. 

"Look  at  the  map  of  Europe,  and  you  will 
find,  nestling  in  the  mountains  of  Savoy,  between 
Switzerland  and  France,  the  little  village  of  Aix, 
generally  known  as  Aix-les-Bains,  from  the  baths 
which  give  it  fame.  There  I  am  now.  The 
country  about  is  most  beautiful,  the  people  sim- 
ple and  kind. . 

"  My  life  is  devoted  to  health.  I  wish  that  I 
could  say  that  I  am  not  still  an  invalid ;  yet,  ex- 
cept when  attacked  by  the  pain  on  my  chest,  I 
am  now  comfortable,  and  enjoy  my  baths,  my 
walks,  and  the  repose  and  incognito  which  I  find 
here. 

"  I  begin  the  day  with  douches,  hot  and  cold, 
and,  when  thoroughly  exhausted,  am  wrapped  in 
sheet  and  blanket,  and  conveyed  to  my  hotel,  and 
laid  on  my  bed.  After  my  walk,  I  find  myself 
obliged  again  to  take  to  my  bed  for  two  hours 
before  dinner.  But  this  whole  treatment  is  in 


320  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

pleasant  contrast  with  the  protracted  suffering 
from  fire  which  made  the  summer  a  torment. 
And  yet  I  fear  that  I  must  return  to  that  treat- 
ment. 

"  It  is  with  a  pang  unspeakable  that  I  find  my- 
self thus  arrested  in  the  labors  of  life,  and  in  the 
duties  of  my  position.  This  is  harder  to  bear 
than  the  fire.  I  do  not  hear  of  friends  engaged  in 
active  service  .  .  .  without  a  feeling  of  envy." 

Returning  to  Paris,  Brown-Sequard  gave  him 
the  joyful  information  that  the  cure  was  com- 
plete. 

Hope  long,  long  and  most  painfully  deferred, 
is  at  last  realized.  Through  four  tedious  years 
of  suspense  and  pain,  he  has  looked  forward  to 
this  hour ;  and  now  it  has  come. 

He  hears  the  call  of  duty  from  across  the  waters, 
and  when  Congress  opens,  December,  1859,  he 
takes  up  his  work,  in  the  exulting  consciousness 
that  this  time  it  shall  not  drop  from  his  hands. 

But  where  are  the  men  who  had  compelled  him 
to  lay  down  that  work,  and  because  it  was  so 
faithfully  done?  Two  of  the  most  prominent 
actors,  the  most  audacious,  arrogant,  insulting, 
and,  for  the  time  being,  seemingly  most  potential, 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  321 

—  Brooks  and  Butler,  —  were  in  their  graves  in 
less  than  a  year  after  the  assault,  Brooks  having 
experienced  a  sudden  and  most  agonizing  death. 
The  contrast  is  impressive. 
21 


322        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Excited  State  of  Feeling.  —  Letters  to  Mr.  Olaflin. 

—  John  Brown.  —  His  Demeanor;  his  Execu- 
tion ;  his  previous  Interview  with  Mr.  Sumner. 

—  John  Brown  in  Congress.  —  Kidnapping. — 
Petitions  against  Slavery  tabled.  —  Letter  from 
Horace  Mann.  —  Speech,  u  Barbarism  of  Sla- 
very." —  Allusion  to  Brooks.  —  Reply  of  Mr. 
Chesnut.  —  Mr.  Sumner's  Life  in  Danger. 

AT  the  time  of  Mr.  Sumner  ?s  return  to  the 
Senate,*  the  country  was  in  a  state  of  intense 
excitement.  John  Brown  had  just  made  his 
bold  attack  upon  slavery,  and  was  on  the  eve  of 
his  execution. 

The  Fugitive  Slave  Bill  had  provoked  several 
of  the  Free  States  to  pass  Personal  Liberty  Bills, 
for  the  protection  of  their  citizens  from  Southern 

*  The  Senate  was  still  strongly  Democratic,  and  of  the  extreme 
pro-slavery  stamp,  though  the  Republican  minority  now  numbered 
twenty-four.  That  minority  was  soon  to  be  an  overwhelming  ma- 
jority. 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER.  323 

domination,  which,  in  turn,  had  roused  the  pro- 
slavery  party  to  madness.  Secession  was  be- 
ginning to  show  itself.  A  presidential  canvass 
was  just  at  hand,  involving  a  direct  issue  between 
freedom  and  slavery. 

Under  these  circumstances,  when  the  air  was 
filled  with  alarms,  and  many  were  putting  for- 
ward plans  for  peace,  Mr.  Sumner  wrote  to  a 
friend  as  follows:  — 

"WASHINGTON,  January,  '60. 

"My  DEAR  CLAFLIN:  Massachusetts  has  now 
an  important  post.  The  greatest  difficulty  is  to 
be  true  to  herself  and  her  own  noble  history. 

"  In  the  name  of  Liberty  I  supplicate  you  not 
to  let  her  take  any  backward  steps  —  not  an  inch, 
not  a  hair's  breadth  I 

"  It  is  now  too  late  for  any  fancied  advantage 
from  such  conduct.  It  only  remains  that  she  do 
nothing  by  which  liberty  suffers,  or  by  which  her 
principles  are  recanted.  Remember  well  that 
not  a  word  from  the  legislature  can  have  the 
least  influence  in  averting  the  impending  result ; 
that  the  only  security  is  the  firmness  which  noth- 
ing can  shake. 

"  Let  the  timid  cry,  but  let  Massachusetts  stand 
stiff —  God  bless  her ! 

"  We  are  on  the  eve  of  great  events,  and  this 


324  LIFE   OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

month  will  try  men's  souls.     But  our  duty  is  clear 
as  noonday,  and  bright  as  the  sun. 
"  Ever  sincerely  yours, 

"  CHARLES  SUMNER." 

John  Brown  had  now  found  his  way  into  Con- 
gress, —  for  his  "  soul "  was  "  marching  on,"  —  in 
the  Harper's  Ferry  Investigation,  in  the  Senate, 
on  the  question  of  imprisoning  a  citizen  for  refus- 
ing to  testify  in  the  case.  This  was  March  12, 
1860. 

The  investigation  arose  from  the  famous  enter- 
prise of  the  "  Hero  of  Osawatomie,"  who,  October 
17, 1859,  with  a  force  of  twenty-two  men,  captured 
the  United  States  Arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry. 
His  object  was  to  set  in  motion  a  plan  which  he 
had  formed  for  the  general  liberation  of  the  slaves. 
It  was  charged  upon  him  that  he  intended  to  pro- 
voke insurrection,  but  he  solemnly  denied  having 
any  such  purpose ;  and  his  word  was  as  good  as 
an  oath.  He  hoped  to  effect  a  peaceful  exodus 
of  the  slaves  without  rebellion  or  bloodshed. 
What  he  had  already  done  in  Missouri,  in  a  small 
way,  when  he  "  took  slaves  without  the  snapping 
of  a  gun  on  either  side  "  to  Canada,  he  said  he 
wished  now  to  accomplish  on  a  grander  scale. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        325 

On  his  trial ' —  for  he  was  soon  overpowered  — 
he  said,  with  noble  simplicity,  that  he  had  only 
carried  out  the  principles  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, "  which  taught  him  that  all  things  l  what- 
soever I  would  that  men  should  do  unto  me,  I 
should  do  even  so  to  them.' ' 

To  us  his  scheme  seems  a  mad  one,  but  there 
can  be  no  doubt  of  his  entire  conscientiousness. 
He  was  a  man  of  heroic  nature,  a  devout  Chris- 
tian of  the  old  Puritan  style,  a  perfectly  unselfish 
philanthropist.  His  very  enemies  were  power- 
fully impressed  by  the  nobleness  of  his  demeanor 
in  the  court-room,  in  the  jail,  and  at  his  execu- 
tion. The  letters  which  he  wrote  to  his  family 
and  to  his  friends,  after  his  sentence  to  death, 
show  a  sweet  tenderness  of  spirit  and  a  cou- 
rageous and  peaceful  trust  in  God. 

In  prison  he  was  cheerful  to  the  very  last, 
and  an  eye-witness  testifies  that  on  the  day  of 
his  execution,  December  2,  1859,  he  walked  out 
of  the  jail  "  with  a  radiant  countenance,  and  the 
step  of  a  conqueror."  "  His  face  was  even  joy- 
ous, and  it  has  been  remarked  that  probably  his 
was  the  lightest  heart  in  Charlestown  that  day. 
A  black  woman,  with  a  little  child  in  her  arms, 


326        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

stood  by  the  door.  He  stopped  a  momer  t,  and, 
stopping,  kissed  the  child  affectionately.  An- 
other black  woman,  with  a  child,  as  he  passed 
along,  exclaimed,  '  God  bless  you,  old  man  !  I 
wish  I  could  help  you ;  but  I  can't.7  He  looked 
at  her  with  a  tear  in  his  eye."  * 

Compare  this  man,  so  gentle  and  heroic,  the 
friend  of  the  poor  and  oppressed  even  unto 
death,  with  the  border  ruffians  of  Missouri,  whom 
we  have  seen,  in  defiance  of  ah1  law  and  all  jus- 
tice, attempting  to  set  up  slavery  in  Kansas. 
If  we  cannot  approve  John  Brown's  plan  of 
liberation,  we  can  admire  his  magnanimous  spirit 
and  his  generous  purpose ;  while,  in  the  other 
case,  both  the  men  and  their  scheme  deserve 
only  unmingled  condemnation. 

In  the  case  before  the  Senate,  Mr.  Sumner 
contended  that  that  body  had  not  the  power  to 
compel  testimony,  under  pains  and  penalties, 
except  in  cases  involving  self-defence. 

"  This,"  said  he,  "  is  a  fearful  prerogative ;  and 
permit  me  to  say,  that,  in  assuming  it,  you  liken 
yourselves  to  the  Jesuits,  at  the  period  of  their 
moat  hateful  supremacy,  when  it  was  said  that 

*  The  American  Conflict,  by  Horace  Greeley. 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNEE.  327 

their  power  was  a  sword  whose  handle  was  at 
Rome?  and  whose  point  was  in  the  most  distant 
places.  You  take  into  your  hands  a  sword 
whose  handle  will  be  in  this  Chamber,  to  be 
clutched  by  a  mere  partisan  majority,  and  whose 
point  will  be  in  every  corner  of  the  republic." 

Ah,  why  did  not  these  senators,  who  were 
so  anxious  for  justice  to  be  done,  summon  wit- 
nesses to  testify  about  the  raids  into  Kansas,  and 
the  attack  upon  Lawrence?  But  it  was  when 
Slavery,  not  Liberty,  was  in  danger,  that  these 
republicans  of  the  South  were  aroused. 

Mr.  Sumner  must  have  felt  a  peculiar  interest 
in  the  case  before  the  Senate,  for  he  had  met 
John  Brown  in  Boston  while  there  suffering 
from  his  injuries  received  from  Brooks.  Per- 
haps that  meeting  had  some  connection  with 
the  present  case.  Rev.  James  Freeman  Clarke 
mentions  that,  calling  at  that  time  on  Mr.  Sum- 
ner at  his  home  in  Hancock  Street,  he  found 
him  resting  in  '  an  easy-chair,  and  with  him 
three  gentlemen.  One  was  Captain  Brown. 
"  They  were  speaking  of  the  assault  by  Preston 
Brooks,  and  Mr.  Sumner  remarked,  'The  coat 
I  had  on  at  the  time  is  in  that  closet.  Its  col- 


328        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

lar  is  stiff  with  blood.  You  can  see  it  if  you 
please,  captain.'  Brown  arose,  went  to  the 
closet,  slowly  opened  the  door,  carefully  took 
down  the  coat,  and  looked  at  it  for  a  few  mo- 
ments with  the  reverence  that  a  Roman  Cath- 
olic regards  the  relic  of  a  saint.  Perhaps  the 
sight  caused  him  to  feel  a  still  deeper  horror 
of  slavery,  and  to  take  a  stronger  resolution 
of  attacking  it  in  its  strongholds.  So  the  blood 
of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  church." 

A  few  days  later,  Mr.  Sumner  spoke  again 
upon  a  similar  subject  — "  An  attempt  to  kid- 
nap a  citizen,  under  order  of  the  Senate."  It 
was  an  attempt  to  bring  Mr.  Sanborn,  of  Concord, 
Mass.,  to  Washington,  as  a  witness  in  the 
Harper's  Ferry  affair.  Mr.  Sumner  denied  the 
right  to  do  so,  and  declared  the  attempt  to  be 
kidnapping.  Two  days  later,  he  presented 
twelve  different  petitions  against  slavery,  con- 
taining fifteen  hundred  and  eighty-nine  names. 
The  Senate,  still  in  bondage  to  'the  slave  power, 
laid  them  on  the  table. 

A  few  months  after  the  assault  upon  Mr.  Sum- 
ner, his  friend  Horace  Mann  wrote  to  him,  "-Seek 
the  noblest  revenge,  which  is  strength "  — 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        329 

strength  to  resume  the  contest  with  slavery. 
One  opportunity  to  deal  a  heavy  blow  at  that 
system  he  had  improved  ;  another  had  come. 

The  session  was  far  advanced  into  June.  Mr. 
Sumner  had  been  testing  his  strength  for  another 
vigorous  encounter.  His  revenge  was  sure  — 
not  personal  —  his  noble  nature  disdained  that, 
—  but  the  revenge  of  saying  again,  in  his  place, 
all  that  was  in  his  heart  for  the  cause  of  human 
rights. 

When  last  he  had  spoken  at  any  length,  it  was 
on  the  subject  of  admitting  Kansas  as  a  Free 
State.  That  was  four  years  ago,  May  19  and  20, 
1856.  During  his  absence  the  question  had 
remained  unsettled,  and  now,  on  the  4th  of  June, 
1860,  he  takes  up  the  theme  where  he  had  'left 
it.  Then  he  spoke  on  the  "  Crime  against 
Kansas ;  "  now  he  dwells  on  the  "  Barbarism 
of  Slavery." 

He  does  so  for  the  best  of  reasons.  He  had 
seen  that  merely  dwelling  on  particular  exam- 
ples of  the  injustice  of  slavery  had  not  brought 
the  desired  result;  The  Nebraska  "  swindle  "  had 
been  exposed,  the  crime  against  Kansas  had  been 
laid  bare ;  and  still  the  swindle  remained,  and 


330        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Kansas  was  refused  her  rights.  The  South  was 
growing  more  rapacious.  What  should  be  done  ? 

Mr.  Sumner's  logical  mind  saw  no  hope  but  in 
laying  the  axe  at  the  root  of  the  tree.  He  would 
strike  at  slavery  itself,  the  bitter  root  whence 
had  sprung  that  harvest  of  woes  which  the  na- 
tion was  reaping.  He  would  carry,  not  "  the  war 
into  Africa,  but  Africa  into  the  war."  He  would 
kill  the  monster  whose  arms  were  strangling  the 
nation. 

"  The  Barbarism  of  Slavery  "  —  the  most  ap- 
propriate theme,  because  the  most  radical.  And 
thus  did  Mr.  Sumner  enter  upon  his  speech :  — 

"  Mr.  President :  Undertaking  now,  after  a 
silence  of  more  than  four  years,  to  address  the 
Senate  on  this  important  subject,  I  should  sup- 
press the  emotions  natural  to  such  an  occasion  if 
I  did  not  declare,  on  the  threshold,  my  gratitude 
to  that  Supreme  Being  through  whose  benign 
care  I  am  enabled,  after  much  suffering  and  many 
changes,  once  again  to  resume  my  duties  here, 
and  to  speak  for  the  cause  so  near  my  heart. 

"•  To  the  honored  Commonwealth  whose  repre- 
sentative I  am,  and  also  to  my  immediate  asso- 
ciates in  this  body,  with  whom  I  enjoy  the  fellow 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        331 

ship  which  is  found  in  thinking  alike  concerning 
the  Republic,  I  owe  thanks,  which  I  seize  the  mo- 
ment to  express,  for  indulgence  extended  to  me 
throughout  the  protracted  seclusion  enjoined  by 
medical  skill;  and  I  trust  that  it  will  not  be 
thought  unbecoming  in  me  to  put  on  record 
here,  as  an  apology  for  leaving  my  seat  so  long 
vacant,  without  making  way,  by  resignation,  for  a 
successor,  that  I  acted  under  the  illusion  of  an 
invalid,  whose  hopes  for  restoration  to  natural 
health  continued  against  oft-recurring  disappoint- 
ment. 

"  When  last  I  entered  into  this  debate,  it  be- 
came my  duty  to  expose  the  crime  against  Kan- 
sas, and  to  insist  upon  the  immediate  admission 
of  that  Territory  as  a  State  of  this  Union,  with  a 
constitution  forbidding  slavery.  Time  has  passed, 
but  the  question  remains.  Resuming  the  discus- 
sion precisely  where  I  left  it,  I  am  happy  to  avow 
that  rule  of  moderation  which,  it  is  said,  may 
venture  to  fix  the  boundaries  of  wisdom  itself. 

"I  have  no  personal  griefs  to  utter;  only  a 
vulgar  egotism  could  intrude  such  into  this 
Chamber.  I  have  no  personal  wrongs  to  avenge  ; 
only  a  brutish  nature  could  attempt  to  wield  that 


332  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  8UMNER. 

vengeance  which  belongs  to  the  Lord.  The 
years  that  have  intervened  and  the  graves  that 
have  opened  since  I  spoke  have  their  voices, 
which  I  cannot  fail  to  hear. 

"  Besides,  what  am  I,  what  is  any  man  among 
the  living  or  among  the  dead,  compared  with  the 
question  before  us  ?  It  is  this  alone  which  I  shall 
discuss,  and  I  begin  the  argument  with  that  easy 
victory  which  is  found  in  charity." 

Mr.  Sumner  proceeded  to  say  that  in  his  former 
speech  he  had  left  untouched  the  most  important 
part  of  the  argument  —  "  that  found  in  the  Char- 
acter of  Slavery." 

"  This,"  he  added,  "  is  no  time  for  soft  words 
or  excuses.  They  may  turn  away  wrath;  but 
what  is  the  wrath  of  man  ?  This  is  no  time  to 
abandon  any  advantage  in  the  argument.  Sena- 
tors sometimes  announce  that  they  resist  slavery 
on  political  grounds  only,  and  remind  us  that  they 
say  nothing  of  the  moral  question.  This  is 
wrong.  Slavery  must  be  resisted  not  only  on 
political  grounds,  but  on  all  other  grounds,  wheth- 
er social,  economical,  or  moral.  Ours  is  no  holi- 
day contest ;  nor  is  it  any  strife  *of  rival  factions, 
of  White  and  Red  Roses,  of  theatric  Neri  and 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  333 

Bianchi ;  but  it  is  a  solemn  battle  between 
right  and  wrong,  between  good  and  evil.  Such 
a  battle  cannot  be  fought  with  rose-water. 
There  is  austere  work  to  be  done,  and  free- 
dom cannot  consent  to  fling  away  any  of  her 
weapons." 

Mr.  Sumner  assailed  slavery  as  guilty  of  a  five- 
fold wrong :  its  claiming  property  in  man,  —  its 
abrogation  of  marriage,  —  its  abrogation  of  the 
parental  relation, —  its  closing  the  gates  of  knowl- 
edge, —  its  appropriation  of  all  the  toil  of  its  vic- 
tims. 

With  reference  to  the  first,  he  said,  — 
"  Under  what  ordinance  of  Nature  or  of  Na- 
ture's God  is  one  human  being  stamped  an  own- 
er, and  another  stamped  a  thing  ?  God  is  no  re- 
specter of  persons.  .  .  .  God  is  the  Father  of 
the  human  family,  and  we  are  all  his  children. 
Where,  then,  is  the  sanction  of  the  pretension  by 
which  a  brother  lays  violent  hands  upon  a  broth- 
er ?  To  ask  these  questions  is  humiliating ;  but 
it  is  clear  there  can  be  but  one  response.  ...  Oh 
all  grounds  of  reason,  and  waiving  all  questions  of 
'  positive '  statute,  the  Vermont  judge  was  nobly 
right,  when,  rejecting  the  claim  of  a  slave-master, 


334        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

he  said,  '  No,  not  until  you  show  a  bill  of  sale 
from  the  Almighty.'  "  ^ 

The  closing  words  are  these  :  — 

"  Thus,  sir,  speaking  for  freedom  in  Kansas,  I 
have  spoken  for  freedom  everywhere,  and  for 
civilization ;  and  as  the  less  is  contained  in  the 
greater,  so  are  all  arts,  all  sciences,  all  econo- 
mies, all  refinements,  all  charities,  all  delights  of 
life,  embodied  in  this  cause.  You  may  reject  it, 
but  it  will  be  only  for  to-day.  The  sacred  ani- 
mosity of  freedom  and  slavery  can  end  only  with 
the  triumph  of  freedom." 

His   terrible  arraignment  of  slavery  was  re- 
ceived with  "  profound  and  ominous  silence  " 
the  silence  which  precedes  the  storm. 

The  slave  party  in  the  Senate,  taught  a  lesson 
by  the  universal  horror — save  at  the  South  — 
which  followed  the'  assault  upon  Mr.  Sumner  after 
his  former  speech,  now  determined  upon  a  differ- 
ent policy.  They  affected  to  regard  the  present 
speech  as  only  worthy  of  contempt,  all  the  while 
feeling  the  barbed  arrows  of  truth  rankling  in 
their  bosoms. 

Mr.  Chesnut,  of  South  Carolina,  was  their 
mouthpiece,  and  vented  his  spleen  in  some  very 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        335 

choice  expressions :  "  After  ranging  over  Europe, 
crawling  through  the  back  doors  to  whine  at  the 
feet  of  British  aristocracy,  craving  pity,  and 
reaping  a  rich  harvest  of  contempt,  the  slanderer 
of  States  and  men  reappears  in  the  Senate.  We 
had  hoped  to  be  relieved  from  the  outpourings 
of  such  vulgar  malice.  ...  In  this  I  am  disap- 
pointed. .  .  . 

"  It  has  been  left  for  this  day,  for  this  country, 
for  the  abolitionists  of  Massachusetts,  to  deify  the 
incarnation  of  malice,  mendacity,  and  cowardice. 
.  .  .  We  do  not  intend  to*  contribute,  by  any  con- 
duct on  our  part,  to  increase  the  devotees  at  the 
shrine  of  this  new  idol.  We  know  what  is  ex- 
pected and  what  is  desired.  We  are  not  inclined 
again  to  send  forth  the  recipient  of  punishment 
howling  through  the  world,  yelping  fresh  cries  of 
slander  and  malice.  These  are  the  reasons  which 
I  feel  it  due  to  myself  and  others  to  give  to  the 
Senate  and  the  country,  why  we  have  quietly 
listened  to  what  has  been  said,  and  why  we  can 
take  no  other  notice  of  the  matter." 

Why  did  not  the  senator  from  South  Carolina 
undertake  to  disprove  the  statements  made  by 
Mr.  Sunmer? 


336        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

But  what  it  was  decided  not  to  do  in  the  Senate 
Chamber,  was  attempted  outside  of  it.  Mr.  Sum- 
ner's  life  was  in  peril ;  and  because  he  refused  to 
take  any  personal  precautions,  some  friends,  with- 
out his  knowledge,  kept  guard  over  his  house,  and 
escorted  him  to  and  from  the  Capitol. 

At  the  North,  the  speech  was  regarded  by 
some  as  very  truthful,  indeed,  but  very  impru- 
dent. 

By  multitudes  it  was  read  with  delight,  not 
because  Southern  wickedness  was  exposed,  but 
because  the  truth  had  been  spoken.  The  veil 
that  concealed  the  cancer  had  been  torn  away ; 
now  there  was  hope  of  a  cure.  It  was  a  hide- 
ous spectacle,  but  abhorrence  would  rouse  to 
action. 

This  speech  doubtless  hastened  the  crisis,  and 
helped  to  bring  on  the  war.  That  was,  however, 
no  fault  of  the  speaker,  unless  the  Saviour  was 
at  fault  when  he  said,  "  I  bring  not  peace,  but  a 
sword."  The  sword  of  truth  is  the  necessary 
precursor  of  true  and  lasting  peace. 

The  nation  had  tried  compromises  long  enough. 
Now  was  Justice  lifting  up  her  voioe,  to  try 
her  power,  where  every  other  remedy  had  only 


LIFE  OP  CHABLES  SUMNER.        337 

aggravated  the  disease,  and  left  the  patient  nigher 
to  death. 

Thank  God,  a  man  had  arisen  to  speak  the 
truth,  without  fear  or  favor.     To-day  the  nation 
lives,  in  the  new  strength  of  universal  liberty. 
22 


338       LIFE  OP  CHABLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Fanaticism  of  the  Slave  Power.  —  Jefferson 
Davis' s  Resolutions  in  the  Senate.  —  Demo- 
cratic National  Convention  in  Charleston. — 
Sell  and  Everett.  —  Republicans  and  Abraham 
Lincoln.  —  Mr.  Lincoln's  Views.  —  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  at  the  Cooper  Institute.  —  "  Republican 
Party."  —  West  India  Emancipation.  —  Mr. 
Sumner.  —  "  Presidential  Candidates  and  the 
Issues."  —  "  Mrs.  Toodles." —  Mr.  Lincoln  elect- 
ed. —  The  Rebellion  at  the  Door.  —  President 
Buchanan's  Cure-all.  —  South  Carolina.  —  Or- 
dinance of  Secession.  —  Fort  Sumter.  —  Sixth 
Massachusetts  Regiment  at  Baltimore.  —  Speech 
of  Mr.  Sumner  to  Major  Devens's  Company,  at 
New  York. 

EVENTS  are  rapidly  ripening  for  a  great  crisis. 
The  country  is  in  violent  agitation.  The  future 
wears  a  lowering  aspect. 

It  is  plain  that  the  slave  power  is  bent  on  em- 
ploying the  most  extreme  measure  for  strength- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        339 

ening  its  position.  The  union  of  the  States  is 
of  little  account  in .  comparison  with  slavery. 
That  must  be  maintained  at  all  hazards. 

In  the  Senate,  only  a  few  days  before  Mr. 
Sumner's  last  speech,  Jefferson  Davis  carried 
through  a  series  of  resolutions,  one  of  which 
directly  affirmed  "  the  constitutional  right  of  any 
citizen  of  the  United  States  to  take  his  slave 
property  into  the  common  Territories,  and  there 
hold  and  enjoy  the  same  while  the  territorial 
condition  continues."- 

This  was  a  great  advance  on  Mr.  Douglas's 
plan  of  "  popular  sovereignty,"  so  called,  which 
left  it  optional  with  a  Territory  to  admit  or  reject 
slavery.  The  South  wanted  more.  A  slave- 
owner must  be  allowed  to  take  his  slaves  into 
any  Territory,  whether  the  majority  of  the  in- 
habitants willed  it  or  not.  Slavery  must  have 
the  national  patronage  and  protection. 

This,  of  course,  would  divide  the  Democratic, 
which  was  also  a  pro- slavery,  party,  as  the  North- 
ern wing  were  not  ready  to  adopt  sq  ultra  a 
measure.  But  the  South  cared  not  for  that.  If 
the  Democratic  party  would  not  follow  their  lead, 
they  would  break  with  it. 


340        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

Accordingly,  when  the  Democratic  National 
Convention  met  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  in  April, 
1860,  to.  nominate  a  President  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent, a  division  ensued.  The  Convention  broke 
up  in  confusion.  The  party  of  the  majority 
adjourned  to  Baltimore,  June  18  5  that  of  the 
minority,  comprising  men  of  the  most  extreme 
Southern  doctrines,  adjourned  to  Richmond,  and 
afterwards  to  Baltimore.  The  former  nominated 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  for  President;  the  latter, 
John  C.  Breckinridge. 

Thus  the  South  was  withdrawing  more  and 
more  within  itself,  even  then  having  in  view 
a  Southern  Confederacy. 

In  the  mean  time,  another  party,  composed 
mainly  of  old-fashioned  Whigs,  adopting  only  the 
Constitution  as  its  platform,  and  declining  to 
take  any  open  stand  either  for  or  against  slavery, 
had  nominated  John  Bell  for  President,  and  Ed- 
ward Everett  for  Vice-President.  Though  pro- 
fessedly non-committal,  it  was  really  pro-slavery. 
Not  to  be  against  slavery,  was  to  be  for  it.  Neu- 
trality was  no  longer  possible. 

There  was  certainly  need  of  another  nomina- 
tion for  the  Presidency,  to  represent  the  party 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        341 

of  Freedom.     The  Republicans  had  just  selected 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  as  their  standard-bearer. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  in  his  own  admirable  way,  which 
showed  genius  as  well  as  philanthropy  and  pa- 
triotism, had  clearly  defined  his  position. 

Mr.  Douglas's  so-styled  "Popular  Sovereign- 
ty "  was  thus  defined :  "  If  any  one  man  choose 
to  enslave  another,  no  third  man  shall  be  allowed  to 
object!" 

The  three  parties  represented,  respectively,  by 
Breckinridge,  Douglas,  and  Bell,  were  assailed 
with  a  quotation  from  Scripture,  and  an  ingen- 
ious commentary  thereon:  ili A  house  divided 
against  itself  cannot  stand.'  I  believe  this  gov- 
ernment cannot  permanently  endure,  half  slave 
and  half  free.  I  do  not  expect  the  Union  to  be 
dissolved  —  I  do  not  expect  the  house  to  fall  — 
but  I  do  expect  that  it  will  cease  to  be  divided. 
It  will  become  all  one  thing  or  all  the  other." 
This  was  another  way  of  putting  Mr.  Seward's 
"  irrepressible  conflict." 

And  thus  the  parties  stood  in  the  spring  of 
I860  —  three  for  Slavery,  one  for  Freedom ; 
three  for  Barbarism,  one  for  Civilization;  "all 
one  thing,  or  all  the  other." 


342  LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Mr.  Sumner  entered  with  all  his  heart  into  the 
presidential  contest.  He  hailed  the  advent  of  a 
new  era  —  the  whole  house  dedicated  to  Freedom. 

In  the  month  of  July,  about  a  month  after  his 
speech  in  the  Senate,  he  spoke  at  the  Cooper  In- 
stitute, New  York,  on  "  The  Eepublican  Party : 
its  Origin,  Necessity,  and  Purpose." 

This  great  speech  was  another  blow  "  at  the 
root"  —  at  slavery  itself.  It  was  full  of  hope. 
"  All  good  omens,"  he  said,  "  are  ours.  The 
work  cannot  stop.  Quickened  by  the  triumph 
now  so  near,  with  a  Republican  president  in 
power,  State  after  State,  quitting  the  condition 
of  a  Territory,  and  spurning  slavery,  will  be  wel- 
comed into  our  Plural  Unit,  and,  joining  hands 
together,  will  become  a  belt  of  fire  girt  about 
the  Slave  States,  within  which  slavery  must  die, 
—  or,  happier  still,  joining  hands  together,  they 
will  become  to  the  Slave  States  a  zone  of  Free- 
dom, radiant,  like  the  ancient  cestus  of  Beauty, 
with  transforming  power." 

Mr.   Sumner  would  be  content   with  nothing 
short  of  universal  emancipation.     His  view  of 
such  a  measure  may  be  learned  from  a  letter  to  a 
public  meeting  convened  to  celebrate  emancipa 
tion  in  the  British  West  Indies :  — 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        343 

"  Nothing  shows  the  desperate  mendacity  of 
the  partisans  of  slavery  more  than  the  unfounded 
persistence  with  which  they  call  this  act  *  a  fail- 
ure.' If  it  be  a  failure,  then  is  virtue  a  failure, 
then  is  justice  a  failure,  then  is  humanity  a  fail- 
ure, then  is  God  himself  a  failure ;  for  virtue, 
justice,  humanity,  and  God  himself,  are  all  repre- 
sented in  this  act. 

"  The  true  policy  of  this  world  is  found  in 
justice.  Nothing  is  truer  than  that  injustice, 
besides  its  essential  wickedness,  is  folly  also. 
The  unjust  man  is  a  fool." 

At  a  Kepublican  State  Convention,  at  Wor- 
cester, August  29,  1860,  Mr.  Sumner  discussed 
the  presidential  candidates  and  the  issues. 

He  spoke  of  the  candidates,  with  the  single  ex- 
ception of  Mr.  Lincoln,  as  "  differing  superficially 
among  themselves,  but  all  concurring  in  friend- 
ship for  slavery,  and  in  withstanding  its  prohibi- 
tion anywhere.  .  .  .  The  whole  trio  are  no  better 
than  Mrs.  Malaprop's  idea  of  Cerberus,  '  three 
gentlemen  at  once/  and  must  be  encountered  to- 
gether." 

Describing  the  Bell  party,  he  said,  — 

"  Its  plan,  so  far  as  known,  is  this :  You  will 


344        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

remember  that,  by  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  in  the  event  of  failure  to  elect  by  the  peo- 
ple, the  House  of  Representatives  is  empowered 
to  choose  a  president  out  of  the  three  highest 
candidates  for  that  office. 

"  Now,  assuming,  first,  that  the  Republican  can- 
didate will  not  be  elected  by  the  people,  —  and, 
secondly,  assuming  that  there  will  be  no  election 
by  the  House,  —  this  party,  turning  next  to  the 
vice-presidency,  assumes,  thirdly,  that  Mr.  Ever- 
ett will  be  one  of  the  two  highest  candidates  for 
the  vice-presidency,  and,  fourthly,  that  Mr.  Ever- 
ett will  be  elected  by  the  Senate  vice-president, 
and  then  will  become  president,  like  John  Tyler 
and  Millard  Fillmore,  —  not  through  the  death  of 
a  president,  but  through  a  double  failure  by  the 
people  and  by  the  House. 

"  Such  is  the  calculation  by  which  this  band 
of  professed  Conservatives  seek  repose  for  the 
country. 

"  Permit  me  to  say  that  it  is  equalled  only  by 
the  extravagance  of  Mrs.  Toodles,  in  the  farce. 
Her  passion  was  auctions,  where  she  purchased 
ancient  articles  of  furniture,  under  the  idea  that 
they  might  some  day  be  useful. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        345 

"  Once,  to  the  amazement  of  her  husband,  she 
brought  home  a  brass  door-plate  with  the  name 
of  Thompson  spelled  with  a  p.  '  But  what  is  this 
for  ?  '  he  demanded.  '  Why/  said  Mrs.  Toodles, 
with  logic  worthy  of  the  Bell  party,  t  though  we 
have  been  married  many  years  without  children, 
it  is  possible,  my  dear,  that  we  may  have  a  child ; 
that  child  may  be  a  daughter,  and  may  live  to 
the  age  of  maturity,  and  she  may  marry  a  man 
of  the  name  of  Thompson  spelled  with  a  p. 
Then  how  handy  it  would  be  to  have  this  door- 
plate  in  the  house  ! ' 

"  I  doubt  whether  any  person  really  familiar 
with  affairs  can  consider  this  nomination  for  the 
vice-presidency  of  more  practical  value  than 
Mrs.  Toodles's  brass  door-plate,  with  the  name 
of  Thompson  spelled  with  a  p,  picked  up  at 
an  auction. 

"  But  then,  in  a  certain  most  difficult  contin- 
gency, at  the  end  of  a  long  train  of  contingencies, 
how  handy  it  must  be  to  have  it  in  the  house  !  " 

In  speaking  of  the  Breckinridge  party,  he 
said, — 

"I  confess  myself  perplexed  between  abhor- 
rence for  its  dogma  and  respect  for  its  frank- 


346        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

ness.  .  .  .  There  is  something  even  in  criminal 
boldness  which  we  are  disposed  to  admire.  We 
like  an  open  foe,  who  scorns  to  hide  in  deceit, 
and  meets  us  in  daylight.  .  .  .  And  yet  this  very 
frankness  reveals  an  insensibility  to  reason  and 
humanity,  which,  when  recognized,  must  add  to 
our  abhorrence." 

The  Douglas  party  he  described  as  "  last  in 
character,  —  for  who  can  respect  what  we  know 
to  be  a  deceit  ?  The  statesman  founds  himself 
on  principles  ;  sometimes  it  is  his  office  to  frame 
expedients;  but  popular  sovereignty,  as  now 
put  forward,  is  not  a  principle  —  0,  no!  not 
even  an  expedient ;  it  is  nothing  but  a  device,  a 
pretext,  an  evasion,  a  dodge,  a  trick,  in  order  to 
avoid  the  commanding  question,  whether  slavery 
shall  be  prohibited  in  the  Territories." 

"  To  protect  this  'villany7  [slavery],  .  .  .  the 
right  of  the  people  to  govern  themselves  is  in- 
voked, —  forgetful  that  this  divine  right  can  give 
no  authority  to  enslave  others,  that  even  the 
people  are  not  omnipotent,  and  that  never  do 
they  rise  so  high  as  when,  recognizing  the  ever- 
lasting laws  of  Right,  they  bend  to  the  behests 
of  Justice. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        347 

"  Far  different  is  the  position  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
who  has  openly  said,  '  If  I  were  in  Congress, 
and  a  vote  should  come  up  on  a  question 
whether  slavery  should  be  prohibited  in  a  new 
Territory,  in  spite  of  the  Dred  Scott  decision,  I 
would  vote  that  it  should.  That  is  what  I  would 
do.'  " 

Early  in  November  it  was  known  that  Mr.  Lin- 
coln had  a  majority  of  electoral  votes.  This  at 
once  decided  the  action  of  the  South.  They  had 
gone  into  the  canvass  with  the  dishonorable  in- 
tention of  abiding  by  the  result  if  it  should  be  in 
favor  of  their  candidate  —  Mr.  Breckinridge  ; 
otherwise  to  rebel. 

And  this  was  what  they  wanted  a  plausible 
pretext  for  doing.  The  South  was,  therefore, 
rejoiced  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected.  Now  they 
could  say,  The  abolitionists  have  obtained  control 
of  the  government,  and  we  cannot  and  will  not 
submit  to  them. 

Rebellion  was  at  the  door. 

President  Buchanan,  in  his  Message,  Decem- 
ber 3,  spoke  of  the  disturbed  and  threatening 
condition  of  the  country.  He  had  hard  words  for 
the  North,  soft  ones  for  the  South.  "  How  easy," 


348  LIFE   OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

said  he,  "  would  it  be  for  the  American  people  to 
settle  the  slavery  question  forever,  and  to  restore 
peace  and  harmony  to  this  distracted  country  !  " 
How  so  ?  By  yielding  everything  to  the  South. 
That  was  the  meaning  of  his  long  tirade  against 
Northern  anti-slavery  movements. 

Blear-eyed  man  1  how  poorly  he  read  the  signs 
of  the  times  1  how  little  he  comprehended  the 
deep  questions  that  were  agitating  and  rending 
the  country  !  How  easy  to  put  down  the  earth- 
quake ! 

On  December  20,  South  Carolina  passed  her 
ordinance  of  secession.  Other  States  speedily 
followed.  The  president  said  there  was  nothing 
he  could  now  do  to  avert  the  storm. 

A  gracious  Providence,  on  March  4,  1861,  put 
a  strong,  faithful  pilot  at  the  helm.  He  thought 
something  could  be  done.  He  declared  his  pur- 
pose to  maintain  the  authority  of  the  government 
over  the  whole  country. 

There  had  been  proposed  all  sorts  of  preven- 
tives for  the  impending  storm  —  plans  of  concili- 
ation, concession,  compromise.  In  vain !  The 
South  was  in  earnest. 

On  the  12th  of  April,  1861,  the  signal  gun  was 


LIFE   OP  CHARLES   SUMNEB.  349 

fired.  Fort  Sumter  was  attacked  by  rebel  guns. 
The  war  was  begun,  and  by  the  South. 

Three  days  after,  April  15,  President  Lincoln, 
true  to  his  word,  issued  a  proclamation  for  sev- 
enty-five thousand  men  to  suppress  the  insurrec- 
tion. 

The  Sixth  Massachusetts  Regiment,  in  quick 
response,  was  in  Baltimore  on  the  19th,  on  its 
way  to  "Washington.  Attacked  by  secessionists, 
four  of  their  number  were  killed,  and  thirty-six 
wounded.  The  first  blood  was  shed. 

Mr.  Sumner  was  in  Baltimore  the  day  before, 
and  narrowly  escaped  a  mob,  which  was  in 
search  of  him. 

On  ihe  20th,  at  New  York,  he  met  the  Third 
Battalion  of  Massachusetts  Rifles,  under  Major 
Devens,  on  their  route  to  Fort  Henry,  and  ad- 
dressed them  in  stirring  words  :  — 

"  I  cannot  see  before  me  so  large  a  number  of 
the  sons  of  Massachusetts,  already  moving  to  the 
scene  of  trial,  without  feeling  anew  the  loss  we 
have  just  encountered :  I  allude  to  the  death,  at 
Baltimore,  of  devoted  fellow- citizens,  who  had 
sprung  forward  so  promptly  at  the  call  of  coun- 
try. As  I  heard  that  they  had  fallen,  my  soul 


350        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

was  touched.  And  yet,  when  I  thought  of  the 
cause  for  which  they  met  death,  I  said  to  myself, 
that,  for  the  sake  of  Massachusetts,  ay,  and  for 
their  own  sake,  I  would  not  have  it  otherwise. 
They  have  died  well,  for  they  died  at  the  post  of 
duty,  and  so  dying  have  become  an  example  and 
a  name  in  history,  while  Massachusetts,  that  sent 
them  forth,  adds  new  memories  to  a  day  already 
famous  in  her  calendar,  and  links  the  present 
with  the  past." 

"It  was  on  the  19th  of  April  that  they  died, 
and  their  blood  was  the  first  offering  of  patriot- 
ism in  the  great  cause  that  snatched  them  from 
the  avocations  of  peace." 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.       351 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

Defeat  at  Bull  Run.  —  Mr.  Sumner  at  Worcester. 
—  "  ^^mancipation  our  best  Weapon."  —  Speech 
at  New  York.  —  "  The  Rebellion;  its  Origin  and 
Mainspring."  —  One  Way  of  Safety.  —  Speech 
against  returning  Fugitive  Slaves  from  the 
Federal  Lines.  —  Eulogy  on  Colonel  Baker. — 
"  The  Trent."  — Mason  and  Slidell;  their  Cap- 
ture.—  Mr.  Sumner  urges  their  Surrender. — 
Neutral  Eights. 

THE  war  went  on  with  varying  fortunes.  Some 
border  States  were  divided,  being  largely  favor- 
able to  the  South  without  actually  joining  the 
rebel  Confederacy,  and  several  additional  Slave 
States  went  over  to  the  enemy.  The  defeat  of 
the  Federal  forces  at  Bull  Run,  July  21,  was  a 
great  shock  to  the  North,  but  it  accomplished  the 
important  purpose  of  revealing  the  real  magni- 
tude of  the  task  of  subduing  the  South. 

In  October,  1861,  at  the  Republican  State  Con- 


352        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

vention  at  Worcester,  while  affairs  were  in  a 
condition  of  mingled  hope  and  fear,  Mr.  Sumner 
boldly  announced  this  proposition  —  Emancipa- 
tion our  best  weapon.  He  saw  that  slavery  was 
at  once  the  strength  and  weakness  of  the  enemy, 
and  he  would  invoke  the  war  power  of  the 
government  to  abolish  it.  The  right,  he  said, 
was  unquestionable.  The  necessity  was  urgent. 

"  It  is  often  said  that  war  will  make  an  end  of 
slavery.  This  is  probable.  But  it  is  surer  still 
that  the  overthrow  of  slavery  will  make  an  end 
of  the  war. 

"If  I  am  correct  in  this  averment,  which  I 
believe  beyond  question,  then  do  reason,  justice, 
and  policy  unite,  each  and  all,  in  declaring  that 
the  war  must  be  brought  to  bear  directly  on  the 
grand  conspirator  and  omnipresent  enemy. 

"  Not  to  do  so  is  to  take  upon  ourselves  all  the 
weakness  of  slavery,  while  we  leave  to  the  rebels 
its  boasted  resources  of  military  strength. 

"  Not  to  do  so  is  to  squander  life  and  treasure 
in  a  vain  masquerade  of  battle,  without  practical 
result. 

"  Not  to  do  so  is  blindly  to  neglect  the  plain- 
est dictates  of  economy,  humanity,  and  common 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  353 

sense,  —  and,  alas  !  simply  to  let  slip  the  dogs  of 
war  on  a  mad  chase  over  the  land,  never  to  stop 
until  spent  with  fatigue  or  sated  with  slaughter. 

"Believe  me,  fellow- citizens,  I  know  all  im- 
agined difficulties  and  unquestioned  responsibili- 
ties. But,  if  you  are  in  earnest,  the  difficulties 
will  at  once  disappear,  and  the  responsibilities 
are  such  as  you  will  gladly  bear.  This  is  not  the 
first  time  that  a  knot  hard  to  untie  was  cut  by 
the  sword ;  and  we  all  know  that  danger  flees 
before  the  brave  man.  Believe  that  you  can, 
and  you  can.  The  will  only  is  needed.  Courage 
now  is  the  highest  prudence. 

"  It  is  not  necessary  even,  borrowing  a  familiar 
phrase,  to  carry  the  war  into  Africa.  It  will  be 
enough  if  we  carry  Africa  into  the  war,  in  any 
form,  any  quantity,  any  way.  The  moment  this 
is  done,  rebellion  will  begin  its  bad  luck,  and  the 
Union  become  secure  forever." 

Though  this  speech  was  received  with  great 
applause  when  delivered,  the  public  mind  was 
divided  as  to  the  expediency  of  immediate 
emancipation.  Then,  as  many  times  since,  Mr. 
Sumner  was  thought  by  not  a  few  to  be  prema- 
ture and  unpractical ;  but  then,  ere  long,  as  well 
23 


354        LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNEB. 

as  since,  his  most  advanced  and  objectionable 
propositions  were  subsequently  adopted.  The 
nation  was  compelled  to  adopt  emancipation  as 
necessary  to  success. 

The  next  month  he  urged  the  same  proposi- 
tion, with  new  arguments  and  illustrations,  at  an 
immense  meeting  in  New  York.  His  theme  was, 
The  Rebellion ;  its  Origin  and  Mainspring. 

He  called  slavery  "the  ruling  idea"  of  the 
rebellion.  "  It  is  slavery  that  marshals  these 
hosts  and  breathes  into  their  embattled  ranks 
its  own  barbarous  fire.  It  is  slavery  that  stamps 
its  character  alike  upon  officers  and  men.  It  is 
slavery  that  inspires  all,  from  general  to  trum- 
peter. It  is  slavery  that  speaks  in  the  word  of 
command,  and  sounds  in  the  morning  drum-beat. 
It  is  slavery  that  digs  trenches  and  builds  hostile 
forts.  It  is  slavery  that  pitches  its  wicked  tents, 
and  stations  its  sentries  over  against  the  national 
Capitol.  It  is  slavery  that  sharpens  the  bayonet 
and  runs  the  bullet,  —  that  points  the  cannon,  and 
scatters  the  shell,  blazing,  bursting  with  death. 
Wherever  the  rebellion  shows  itself,  whatever 
form  it  takes,  whatever  thing  it  does,  whatever 
it  meditates,  it  is  moved  by  slavery;  nay,  the 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        355 

rebellion  is  slavery  itself,  incarnate,  living,  acting, 
raging,  robbing,  murdering,  according  to  the  es- 
sential law  of  its  being. 

"  Nor  is  this  all.  The  rebellion  is  not  only  ruled 
by  slavery,  but,  owing  to  the  peculiar  condition 
of  the  Slave  States,  it  is,  for  the  moment,  accord- 
ing to  their  instinctive  boast,  actually  re-enforced 
by  this  institution. 

"  As  the  fields  of  the  South,  are  cultivated  by 
slaves,  .  .  .  the  white  freemen-  are  at  liberty  to 
play  the  part  of  rebels.  The  slaves  toil  at  home, 
while  the  masters  work  at  rebellion;  and  thus, 
by  singular  fatality,  is  this  doomed  race,  without 
taking  up  arms,  actually  engaged  in  feeding,  sup- 
porting, succoring,  and  invigorating  those  bat- 
tling for  their  enslavement. 

"  But  how  shall  the  rebellion  be  crushed  ?  .  .  . 
You  will  strike  where  the  blow  is  most  felt ;  nor 
will  you  miss  the  precious  opportunity.  The  ene- 
my is  before  you ;  nay,  he  comes  out  in  ostenta- 
tious challenge,  and  his  name  is  Slavery.  You 
can  vindicate  the  Union  only  by  his  prostration. 
Slavery  is  the  very  Goliath  of  the  rebellion, 
armed  with  coat  of  mail,  with  helmet  of  brass 
upon  the  head,  greaves  of  brass  upon  the  legs,  a 


356        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

target  of  brass  between  the  shoulders,  and  with 
the  staff  of  his  spear  like  a  weaver's  beam.  But 
a  stone  from  a  simple  sling  will  make  the  giant 
fall  upon  his  face  to  the  earth. 

"  Amid  all  surrounding  perils  there  is  one  only 
which  I  dread.  .  It  is  the  peril  from  'some  new 
surrender  to  slavery,  some  fresh  recognition  of 
its  power,  some  present  dalliance  with  its  intoler- 
able pretensions. 

"  Worse  than  any  defeat,  or  even  the  flight  of 
an  army,  would  be  this  abandonment  of  princi- 
ple. From  all  such  peril,  good  Lord,  deliver  us ! 

"  And  there  is  one  way  of  safety,  clear  as  sun- 
light, pleasant  as  the  paths  of  peace.  Over  its 
broad  and  open  gate  is  written,  JUSTICE.  In  that 
little  word  is  victory.  Do  justice,  and  you  will 
be  twice  victors ;  for  so  you  will  subdue  the 
rebel  master,  while  you  elevate  the  slave. 

"Do  justice  frankly,  generously,  nobly,  and 
you  will  find  strength  instead  of  weakness,  while 
all  seeming  responsibility  disappears  in  obedience 
to  God's  eternal  law.  Do  justice,  though  the 
heavens  fall.  But  they  will  not  fall.  Every  act 
of  justice  becomes  a  new  pillar  of  the  Universe, 
or  it  may  be  a  new  link  of  that 


LIFE  OF  CHABLES  SUMNER.        357 

'golden,  everlasting  chain, 
Whose  strong  embrace  holds  heaven,  and  earth,  and  main.' " 

The  opinion  that  safety  was  through  emancipa- 
tion was  gaining  ground  every  day.  The  inhu- 
man practice  of  some  of  our  generals  in  refusing 
to  receive  fugitive  slaves  within  their  camps,  and 
in  thrusting  them  out  of  their  lines,  awakened 
general  indignation. . 

Mr.  Sumner  brought  up  the  subject  in  the  Sen- 
ate, December  2, 1861,  and  said  with  reference  to 
one  general,  "  I  take  the  liberty  of  saying  — -  and 
I  wish  that  my  words  may  reach  his  distant  head- 
quarters—  that  every  fugitive  slave  he  surren- 
ders will  hereafter  rise  in  judgment  against  him 
with  a  shame  which  no  possible  victory  can  re- 
.move." 

On  the  llth  of  that  month,  Mr.  Sumner  deliv- 
ered, in  the  Senate,  a  most  eloquent  eulogy  upon 
Colonel  Baker,  late  a  senator  from  Oregon. 

In  the  unfortunate  engagement  at  BalPs  Bluff, 
October  21,  1861,  Colonel  Baker  was  sent  by  his 
superior  officer  to  encounter  a  far  stronger  rebel 
force.  He  was  a  most  brave  as  well  as  skilful 
commander,  and  did  all  that  mortal  could  do  in  so 
unequal  a  contest.  But  he  was  overpowered  by 
numbers,  and  fell,  shot  through  the  head. 


358  LIFE 'OP   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

In  his  eulogy,  Mr.  Sumner  said  of  him,  — 

"  In  the  Senate  he  took  at  once  the  post  of 
orator.  His  voice  was  not  full  and  sonorous,  but 
sharp  and  clear.  It  was  penetrating  rather  than 
commanding,  and  yet,  when  touched  by  his 
ardent  nature,  became  sympathetic  and  even 
musical.  Countenance,  body,  and  gesture,  all 
shared  the  unconscious  inspiration  of  his  voice, 
and  he  went  on,  master  of  his  audience,  master 
also  of  himself.  All  his  faculties  were  com- 
pletely at  command.  Ideas,  illustrations,. words, 
seemed  to  come  unbidden  and  range  in  harmoni- 
ous forms  —  as  in  the  walls  of  ancient  Thebes 
each  stone  took  its  proper  place  of  its  own  ac- 
cord, moved  only  by  the  music  of  a  lyre. 

"  His  fame  as  a  speaker  was  so  familiar  even 
before  he  appeared  among  us,  that  it  was  some- 
times supposed  he  might  lack  those  solid  pow- 
ers without  which  the  oratorical  faculty  itself 
exercises  only  a  transient  influence. 

"But  his  speech  on  this  floor  in  reply  to  a 
slaveholding  conspirator,  now  an  open  rebel, 
showed  that  his  matter  was  as  good  as  his 
manner,  and  that,  while  master  of  fence,  he  was 
also  master  of  ordnance.  His  oratory  was  grace- 


LIFE   OP   CHARLES  SUMNEE..  359 

ful,  sharp,  and  flashing,  like  a  cimeter ;  but  his 
argument  was  powerful  and  sweeping,  like  a 
battery. 

"  Another  speech  showed  him  in  a  different 
character.  It  was  his  instant  reply  to  the 
Kentucky  senator  — '  John  C.  Breckinridge  —  not 
then  expelled  from  this  body. 

"  The  occasion  was  peculiar.  A  senator,  with 
treason  in  his  heart,  if  not  on  his  lips,  had  just 
sat  down.  Our  lamented  senator,  who  had 
entered  the  Chamber  direct  from  his  camp,  rose 
at  once  to  reply.  He  began  simply  and  calmly  ; 
but,  as  he  proceeded,  the  fervid  soul  broke  forth 
in  words  of  surprising  power.  On  the  former 
occasion  he  presented  the  well-ripened  fruits  of 
study ;  but  now  he  spoke  with  the  spontaneous 
utterance  of  his  natural  eloquence,  meeting  the 
polished  traitor  at  every  point  with  weapons 
keener  and  brighter  than  his  own. 

"  But  the  question  is  painfully  asked,  '  Who 
was  author  of  this  tragedy,  now  filling  the  Sen- 
ate Chamber,  as  already  it  has  filled  the  country, 
with  mourning  ? '  There  is  a  strong  desire  to 
hold  somebody  responsible,  where  so  many  per- 
ished unprofitably.  But  we  need  not  appoint 


360        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

committees,   or   study  testimony,  to   know  pre» 
cisely  who  took  this  precious  life. 

"  That  great  criminal  is  easily  detected,  —  still 
erect  and  defiant,  without  concealment  or  dis- 
guise. The  guns,  the  balls,  and  the  men  that 
fired  them,  are  of  little  importance.  It  is  the 
power  behind  all,  saying, '  The  State,  it  is  I/  that 
took  this  precious  life;  and  this  power  is  slavery. 
The  nine  balls  that  slew  our  departed  brother 
came  from  slavery.  Every  gaping  wound  of  his 
slashed  bosom  testifies  against  slavery.  The 
brain  so  rudely  shattered  has  its  own  voice,  and 
the  tongue  so  suddenly  silenced  in  death  speaks 
now  with  more  than  living  eloquence.  To  hold 
others  responsible  is  to  hold  the  dwarf  agent 
and  dismiss  the  giant  principal.  Nor  shall  we 
do  great  service,  if,  merely  criticising  some 
local  blunder,"  we  leave  untouched  that  fatal  for- 
bearance through  which  the  weakness  of  the 
rebellion  is  changed  into  strength,  and  the 
strength  of  our  armies  is  changed  into  weak- 
ness. 

"  May  our  grief  to-day  be  no  hollow  pageant, 
nor  expend  itself  in  this  funeral  pomp !  It 
must  become  a  motive  and  impulse  to  patriotic 
action. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        361 

•f  But  patriotism  itself,  that  commanding  chari- 
ty, embracing  so  many  other  charities,  is  only  a 
name,  and  nothing  else,  unless  we  resolve, 
calmly,  plainly,  solemnly,  that  slavery,  the  bar- 
barous enemy  of  our  country,  the  irreconcilable 
foe  of  our  Union,  the  violator  of  our  Constitu- 
.  tion,  the  .  disturber  of  our  peace,  the  vampire 
of  our  national  life,  sucking  its  best  blood,  the 
assassin  of  our  children,  and  the-  murderer  of  our 
dead  senator,  shall  be  struck  down. 

"  And  the  way  is  easy.  The  just  avenger  is  at 
hand,  with  weapon  of  celestial  temper,  Let  it 
be  drawn.  Until  this  is  done,  the  patriot,  dis- 
cerning clearly  the  secret  of  our  weakness,  can 
only  say,  sorrowfully,  — 

'  bleed,  bleed,  poor  country ! 
Great  tyranny,  lay  thou  thy  basis  sure, 
For  goodness  dares  not  check  thee.' "  * 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Mr.  Sumner 
stood  alone  as  an  early  champion  of  emanci- 
pation, as  an  act  of  justice  and  a  military  ne- 
cessity. President  Lincoln  doubtless  believed  in 
it  even  then.  The  question  of  time  probably 
made  the  chief  difference  between  them. 

*  Macbeth,  Act  iv.,  Scene  iii. 


362        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

But  it  was  well  that  Mr.  Simmer  was  thus  pro- 
nounced in  his  opinion,  and  that  he  reiterated  it 
in  different  places  with  so  much  earnestness. 
The  subject  was  kept  distinct  before  the  public 
eye,  and  sank  deep  into  the  public  heart ;  and 
thus  the  way  was  made  clear  for  emancipation 
when  it  came,  and  for  a  final  adjustment  of  the 
whole  question  of  our  duty  to  the  colored  race. 
The  public  conscience  and  judgment  were  edu- 
cated. 

In  December,  1861,  there  came  up  in  the  Sen- 
ate a  case  which  awakened  intense  interest  in 
this  country  and  in  England.  At  one  time  it 
threatened  war  between  the  two  countries.  It 
was  the  case  of  the  Trent,  a  British  steamship, 
tunning  between  Havana  and  England. 

Early  in  the  rebellion,  two  Confederate  envoys, 
James  M.  Mason,  of  Virginia,  and  John  Slidell, 
of  Louisiana,  were  accredited,  the  first  to  Great 
Britain,  the  second  to  France,  in  the  hope  of 
"  arraying  the  two  great  nations  against  the 
United  States,  and  enlisting  them  opunly  in  sup- 
port of"  the  Confederate  government. 

"  These  two  old  men,"  said  Mr.  Sumner,  in  the 
Senate,  January  9, 1861,  "  with  their  two  younger 


LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNEE.       363 

associates,  stole  from  Charleston  (October  12, 
1861)  on  board  a  rebel  steamer,  and,  under 
cover  of  darkness  and  storm,  running  the  sur- 
rounding blockade,  and  avoiding  the  neutral 
cruisers,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  neutral 
island  of  Cuba,  where,  with  open  display,  and 
the  knowledge  .of  the  British  consul,  they  em- 
barked on  board  the  British  mail-packet  Trent, 
bound  for  St.  Thomas,  where  they  were  to  em- 
bark for  England.  .  .  . 

"  While  on  their  way,  the  pretended  ambassa- 
dors were  arrested  (on  the  8th  of  November)  by 
Captain  Wilkes,  of  the  United  States  steamer  San 
Jacinto,  .  .  .  who,  on  this  occasion,  acted  without 
instructions  from  his  government." 

They  were  brought  to  the  United  States,  and 
confined  in  Fort  Warren,  near  Boston. 

This  event  caused  great  joy  throughout  the 
North.  Everybody  smiled  at  the  arrest  of  the 
rebel  mischief-makers,  so  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly brought  to  grief.  Everybody  hoped 
they  might  long  enjoy  the  hospitalities  of  their 
prison-home.  The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  fully 
justified  the  capture. 

But  it  soon  appeared  that  there  was  another 


364  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

side  to'  the  question.  The  British  government 
was  greatly  incensed  at  the  act  of  Captain 
Wilkes.  It  was  gross  "  outrage "  to  a  British 
craft  to  fire  a  shell  across  her  bow,  and  abstract 
four  of  her  passengers.  The  unconditional  sur- 
render of  the  captured  party  was  required,  as  a 
proper  atonement  for  the  "  insult."  France  con- 
curred in  the  demand  as  a  just  one.  War  was 
threatened  in  case  of  a  refusal. 

We  were  in  a  dilemma.  The  thought  of  re- 
leasing the  two  conspirators,  whom  we  held  so 
nicely  in  our  grasp,  and  sending  them  forth  again 
on  their  treasonable  mission,  was  far  from  agreea- 
ble ;  it  was  positively  humiliating.  It  must 
not  be. 

But  what  if  a  war  with  England  should  be 
added  to  the  one  we  were  now  staggering  under ! 
The  President  and  his  cabinet  took  the  matter 
into  grave  consideration. 

While  the  case  was  yet  pending,  and  it  was 
believed  that  our  government  favored  the  sur? 
render  of  the  men,  the  subject  came  before  the 
Senate.  Mr.  Hale  strongly  opposed  the  surren- 
der as  "  a  fatal  act."  Mr.  Sumner  took  the  oppo- 
site ground,  in  a  speech  which  reviewed  the 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        365 

« 

whole  question  of  international  law,  and  the 
practice  of  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
relative  to  the  case.  He  declared  that  "  British 
precedents  and  practice  "  might  justify  the  act 
of  Captain  Wilkes,  and  that  these  had  probably 
led  him  ll  into  his  mistake." 

But  on  the  other  hand,  he  said,  "  The  seizure 
of  the  rebel  emissaries  on  board  a  neutral  ship 
cannot  be  justified,  according  to  declared  Ameri- 
can principles  and  practice.  There  is  no  single 
point  where  the  seizure  is  not  questionable." 
There  was  "the  constant,  uniform,  unhesitating 
practice  of  his  own  country  on  the  ocean,  con- 
ceding always  the  greatest  immunities  to  neutral 
ships,  unless  sailing  to  blockaded  ports,  refusing 
to  consider  despatches  contraband  of  war,  refus- 
ing to  consider  persons  other  than  soldiers  or 
officers  as  contraband  of  war,  and  protesting 
always  against  an  adjudication  of  personal  rights 
by  summary  judgment  of  the  quarter-deck." 

The  vessel  should  have  been  taken  into  port  to 
undergo  a  judicial  trial.  It  was  not  allowable 
that  a  navy  officer  should  substitute  himself  for 
such  tribunal. 

The  government  took  this  view  of  the  case, 


366        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

• 

and  set  the  prisoners  at  liberty.  Thus  war  was 
happily  averted. 

Mr.  Simmer  was  the  more  earnest  for  such  a 
settlement,  as  opening  the  way  for  great  "re- 
forms in  maritime  law/'  so  that  war  might  be 
'*  despoiled  of  its  most  vexatious  prerogatives, 
while  innocent  neutrals  are  exempt  from  its  tor- 
ments." He  would  have  "privateering,"  with 
"  contraband  of  war,"  and  the  "  right  of  search," 
abandoned.  "  Commercial  blockade  "  should  dis- 
appear, "to  complete  the  triumph  of  neutral 
rights." 

"  Such  a  change,  just  in  proportion  to  its  ac- 
complishment, will  be  a  blessing  to  mankind, 
inconceivable  in  grandeur.  The  statutes  of  the 
sea,  thus  refined  and  elevated,  will  be  agents  of 
peace  instead  of  agents  of  war.  Ships  and  car- 
goes will  pass  unchallenged  from  shore  to  shore, 
and  those  terrible  belligerent  rights,  under  which 
the  commerce  of  the  world  has  so  long  suffered, 
will  cease  from  troubling.  .  .  . 

"  Meanwhile  through  all  present  excitement, 
amidst  all  trials,  beneath  all  threatening  clouds, 
it  only  remains  for  us  to  uphold  the  perpetual 
policy  of  the  republic,  and  to  stand  fast  on  the 
ancient  ways." 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  8UMNEE.        367 

This  speech,  so  thoroughly  American  in  its 
spirit,  and  yet  exhibiting  so  catholic  and  benefi- 
cent a  statesmanship,  tended  greatly  to  elevate 
Mr.  Sumner  in  the  public  esteem.  Even  those 
who  had  depreciated  him  as  a  man  of  "  one  idea  " 
were  convinced  of  their  mistake. 

The  public  generally,  in  spite  of  their  preju- 
dices, readily  acquiesced  in  the  peaceful  solution 
of  a  vexed  and  perilous  question,  and  the  govern- 
ment was  left  free  to  give  its  undivided  energies 
to  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion. 


368        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Recognition  of  Hayti  and  Liberia.  —  Confiscation 
of  Rebel  Property.  —  Proclamation  of  Emanci- 
pation.—Mr.  Sumner  in  Faneuil  Hall. — 
"  Bridge  of  Gold."  —  Aid  of  the  Slaves  neces- 
sary to  Success.  —  Providential  Judgments.  — 
Changed  Character  of  the  War.  —  Mr.  Sumner's 
Re-election.  —  Contrast.  —  Privateers.  —  Our 
Foreign  Relations.  —  Recognition  of  a  Slave 
Republic  denounced? 

So  long  as  slavery  ruled  in  the  national  coun- 
cils, the  governments  of  Hayti  and  Liberia  could 
obtain  no  recognition  at  Washington.  Southern 
members  of  Congress  had  denounced  such  a  prop- 
osition as  nothing  less  than  "treason,"  and  as 
sure,  if  carried  out,  "  to  convulse  the  Union." 

But  with  the  inauguration  of  the  Republican 
party  in  Washington,  a  new  era  came  in.  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  in  his  Message,  December,  1861, 
recommended  the  long-neglected  duty.  "If," 


LfPE  OP   CHARLES  SUMNER.  369 

said  he,  "  any  good  reason  exists  why  we  should 
longer  persevere  in  withholding  our  recognition 
of  the  independence  and  sovereignty  of  Hayti 
and  Liberia,  I 'am  unable  to  discern  it." 

Mr.  Sumner  was  equally  "  unable,"  and  in  a 
speech  in  the  Senate,  April  23,  1862,  he  strongly 
urged  the  measure,  as  an  act  of  justice  to  those 
nations,  and  as  beneficial  to  our  own  commerce. 

Dark-hued  ambassadors  from  Hayti  and  Li- 
beria have  appeared  in  Washington,  but  as  yet 
the  heavens  have  not  fallen.  They  have  taken 
their  places  beside  the  representatives  of  the 
most  powerful  nations  of  the  world,  and  have 
received  both  civil  and  social  recognition.  Thus 
one  more  great  advance  is  made  in  the  interests 
of  humanity. 

As  the  war  advanced,  Mr.  Sumner  continually 
urged  the  necessity  of  weakening  the  rebellion 
by  the  confiscation  of  rebel  property,  and  the 
freeing  of  slaves  as  far  as  it  could  be  done.  He 
would  have  indemnity  for  the  past,  and  security 
for  the  future. 

He   argued   that  "municipal  law  under  the 
Constitution,  and  the  rights  of  war  under  inter- 
national   law,"   authorized    the    government  to 
24 


370  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEft. 

deal  with  the  rebels  as  "  criminals  and  ene- 
mies." 

It  was  now  far  into  the  second  year  of  the  war. 
The  contest  had  been  attended  with  many  dis- 
asters. The  rebellion  had  proved  to  be  difficult 
to  master.  A  new  method  must  be  tried. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1862,  President 
Lincoln  put  forth  a  proclamation  of  partial  eman- 
cipation, declaring  that,  on  the  first  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1863,  all  persons  held  as  slaves  within  any 
State,  or  designated  part  of  a  State,  then  in 
rebellion,  should  be  forever  free.  This  was  fol- 
lowed, January  1,  1863,  by  an  absolute  proclama- 
tion of  freedom. 

Soon  after  the  first  proclamation,  Mr.  Sumner, 
at  a  meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall,  presided  over  by 
Hon.  William  Claflin,  defended  the  measure. 
"  Thank  God,"  said  he,  "  for  what  is  already 
done,  and  let  us  all  take  heart  as  we  go  forward 
to  uphold  this  great  edict !  For  myself  I  accept 
the  proclamation  without  note  or  comment.  .  .  . 

"  FeUow- citizens,  a  year  has  passed  since'  I 
addressed  you;  but,  during  this  time,  what 
events  for  warning  and  encouragement !  Amidst 
vicissitudes  of  war,  the  cause  of  human  freedom 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        371 

has  steadily  and  grandly  advanced,  —  not,  per- 
haps, as  you  could  desire,  yet  it  is  the  only  cause 
which  has  not  failed.  Slavery  and  the  Black 
Laws  all  abolished  in  the  national  capital ;  sla- 
very interdicted  in  all  the  national  territory; 
Hayti  and  Liberia  recognized  as  independent  re- 
publics in  the  family  of  nations  ;  the  slave-trade 
placed  under  the  ban  of  a  new  treaty  with  Great 
Britain;  all  persons  in  the  military  and  naval 
service  prohibited  from  returning  slaves  or  sit- 
tijig  in  judgment  on  the  claims  of  a  master ;  the 
slaves  of  rebels  emancipated  by  coming  within 
our  lines ;  a  tender  of  compensation  for  the  abo- 
lition of  slavery :  such  are  some  of  Freedom's 
triumphs  in  the  recent  Congress.  Amidst  all 
doubts  and  uncertainties  of  the  present  hour,  let 
us  think  of  these  things  and  be  comforted.  I 
cannot  forget,  that,  when  I  last  spoke  to  you,  I 
urged  the  liberation  of  the  'slaves  of  rebels  .  .  . 
and  I  further  suggested,  if  need  were,  a  bridge 
of  gold  for  the  retreating  fiend.*  And  now  all 
that  I  proposed  is  embodied  in  the  legislation  of 
the  country,  as  the  supreme  law  of  the  land." 

*  President  Lincoln,  according  to  a  resolution  recommended  by 
him  to  Congress,  March  6, 1862,  and  passed  April  2,  issued  a  proc- 


372        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

In  another  part  of  the  speech  he  said :  — 

"  Wherever  I  turn  in  this  war  I  find  the  Afri- 
can ready  to  be  our  saviour. 

"  If  you  ask  for  strategy,  I  know  nothing  better 
than  that  of  the  slave  Robert  Small,  who  brought 
the  rebel  steamer  Planter,  with  its  armament,  out 
of  Charleston,  and  surrendered  it  to  our  commo- 
dore as  prize  of  war. 

"If  you  ask  for  successful  courage,  I  know 
nothing  better  than  that  of  the  African  Till- 
man,  who  rose  upon  a  rebel  prize  crew,  and, 
overcoming  thenl,  carried  the  ship  into  New 
York. 

"  If  you  ask  for  heroism,  you  will  find  it  in 
that  nameless  African  on  board  the  Pawnee,  who, 
while  passing  shell  from  the  magazine,  lost  both 
his  legs  by  a  ball,  but,  still  holding  a  shell,  cried 
out,  '  Pass  up  the  shell  —  never  mind  me ;  my 
time  is  up.'  . 

"  If  you  ask  for  fidelity,  you  will  find  it  in  that 
slave,  also  without  a  name,  who  pointed  out  the 


lamation,  April  10,  offering  pecuniary  compensation  to  any  State 
that  would  adopt  gradual  emancipation.  This  was  the  "  bridge  of 
gold ; "  but  no  State  ever  set. foot  upon  it. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  next  session,  another,  and  the  last  plan 
of  like  character,  was  proposed,  but  failed  to  pass. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE.        373 

road  of  safety  to  the  harassed,  retreating  army 
of  the  Potomac. 

"  And  if  you  ask  for  evidence  of  desire  for 
freedom,  you  will  find  it  in  the  little  slave-girl, 
journeying  North,  whom  Banks  took  up  on  his 
cannon. 

"  But  ...  it  is  not  enough  to  show  that  slaves 
can  render  important  assistance,  by  labor,  by  in- 
formation, or  by  arms.  .  .  .  The  case  is  stronger 
still.  Without  the  aid  of  the  slaves  this  war  cannot 
be  ended  successfully. 

"  If  the  instincts  of  patriotism  did  not  prompt 
this  support  [of  the  proclamation],  I  should  find 
a  sufficient  motive  in  the  duty  which  we  all 
owe  to  the  Supreme  Ruler,  God  Almighty, 
whose  visitations  upon  our  country  are  now  so 
fearful. 

"  Not  rashly  would  I  make  myself  the  inter- 
preter of  His  will;  and  yet  I  am  not  blind.  Ac- 
cording  to  a  venerable  maxim  of  jurisprudence, 
1  Whoso  would  have  equity  must  do  equity ;  ' 
and  God  plainly  requires  equity  at  our  hands. 
We  cannot  expect  success  while  setting  at 
nought  this  requirement,  proclaimed  in  His  di- 
vine character,  in  the  dictates  of  reason,  and  in 


374        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

the  examples  of  history,  —  proclaimed  also  in 
the  events  of  this  protracted  war. 

"  Terrible  judgments  have  fallen  upon  the 
country:  plagues  have  been  let  loose,  rivers 
have  been  turned  into  blood,  and  there  is  a  great 
cry  throughout  the  land,  for  there  is  not  a  house 
where  there  is  not  one  dead ;  and  at  each  judg- 
ment we  seem  to  hear  that  terrible  voice  which 
sounded  in  the  ears  of  Pharaoh :  l  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God  of  the  Hebrews,  Let  my  people  go, 
that  they  may  serve  me.7 

"  I  know  not  how  others  are  touched,  but  1 
cannot  listen  to  the  frequent  tidings  of  calamity 
descending  upon  our  arms,  of  a  noble  soldier  lost 
to  his  country,  of  a  bereavement  at  the  family 
hearth,  of  a  youthful  son  brought  home  dead  to  his 
mother,  without  catching  the  warning, '  Let  my 
people  go  ! '  Nay,  every  wound,  every  sorrow, 
every  hardship  that  we  are  compelled  to  bear  in 
taxation,  in  want,  in  derangement  of  business, 
has  a  voice  crying,  '  Let  my  people  go  ! ' 

"  And  now,  thank  God,  the  word  is  spoken  !  — 
greater  word  was  seldom  spoken.  Emancipation 
has  begun,  and  our  country  is  already  elevated 
and  glorified.  The  war  has  not  changed  in  object, 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        375 

but  it  has  changed  in  character.  Its  object  now, 
as  at  the  beginning,  is  simply  to  put  down  the 
rebellion ;  but  its  character  is  derived  from  the 
new  force  at  length  enlisted,  stamping  itself 
upon  all  that  is  done,  and  absorbing  the  whole 
war  to  itself." 

"  We  have  been  trying  to  do  without  justice," 
said  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  war.  Justice  at  last  had  its  opportunity. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  for  the  election  of  a 
senator  for  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Sumner's  second 
term  having  expired. 

In  consequence  of  his  early  and  earnest  advo- 
cacy of  emancipation,  there  were  many  who  sought 
to  prejudice  the  public  mind  against  him,  with 
a  view  to  defeat  his  re-election.  But  in  vain. 

January  15,  1863,  he  received  an  almost  unan- 
imous vote  in  the  Senate  and  the  House.  Mas- 
sachusetts was  true  to  herself. 

How  great  the  contrast  between  Mr.  Sumner's 
first  election  and  first  appearance  in  Congress, 
and  the  present !  Then  he  came  in  by  a  majority 
of  two,  now  by  almost  a  unanimity  ;  and  in  the 
Senate,  he  then  stood  almost  alone,  excluded 
from  committees,  denied  parliamentary  cour 


376        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

tesies  and  the  common  social  civilities,  and  bru- 
tally assaulted.  Now  the  slave  power  was  de- 
throned, its  leaders  in  the  government  gone, 
Congress  anti- slavery,  himself  chairman  of  the 
most  important  committee  in  the  Senate,  and 
an  acknowledged  leader.  All  in  twelve  years. 

In  the  conduct  of  the  war  Mr.  Sumner  always 
opposed  any  kind  of  support  which  was  unjust 
and  dishonorable.  When  the  government  sought 
to  carry  through  Congress  a  bill  authorizing 
the  issuing  of  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal, 
for  the  purpose  of  damaging  the  rebels  on 
the  ocean,  Mr.  Sumner  strongly  opposed  it ; 
and  when  it  passed,  he  urged  the  President 
not  to  avail  himself  of  it.  His  counsels  pre- 
vailed. 

The  bill  was,  he  said,  in  plain  terms,  "  a  bill 
to  authorize  privateers,  —  that  is,  private-armed 
vessels  licensed  to  cruise  against  the  commerce 
of  an  enemy,  and  looking  to  booty  for  support, 
compensation,  and  salary.  It'  is  by  booty  that 
owners,  officers,  and  crews  are  to  be  paid. 
Booty  is  the  motive  power  and  life-spring.  .  .  . 
Picture  to  yourselves  the  ocean  traversed  by 
licensed  rovers  seeking  prey.  The  Dutch  ad- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        377 

miral  carried  a  broom  at  his  mast-head  as  the 
boastful  sign  that  he  swept  the  seas.  The  pri- 
vateer might  carry  a  scourge.  Wherever  a  sail 
appears,  there  is  a  chase ;  the  signal  gun  is 
fired,  and  the  merchantman  submits  to  visitation 
and  search.  Delay  is  the  least  of  the  conse- 
quences. Contention,  irritation,  humiliation  en- 
sue, all  calculated  to  engender  ill-feelings,  which, 
beginning  with  individuals,  may  embrace  country 
and  government.  .  .  .  The  speaking-trumpet  of 
a  reckless  privateer  may  contribute  to  that  dis- 
cord which  is  the  herald  of  bloodshed  itself." 

The  war  had  now  been  waged  more  than  two 
years,  when  rumors  came  that  England  and 
France  designed  to  recognize  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy as  an  independent  nation.  Our  foreign 
relations  were  therefore  of  the  most  critical  char- 
acter. Such  recognition  would  change  the  whole 
aspect  of  the  war,  arid  place  us  in  a  most  un* 
fortunate  position. 

Mr.  Sumner,  as  holding  in  the  Senate  so  im- 
portant a  relation  to  foreign  affairs,  was  invited 
to  speak  in  New  York  upon  the  question  at 
issue.  He  described  our  "  perils  from  Eng* 
land  and  France,"  and  especially  the  "  impos* 


378        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

sibility  of  any  recognition  of  a  new  power  with 
slavery  as  a  corner-stone." 

"  An  aroused  public  opinion, '  the  world's  col- 
lected will/  and  returning  reason  in  England 
and  France,  will  see  to  it  that  civilization  is 
saved  from  this  shock,  and  the  nations  them- 
selves from  the  terrible  retribution  which  sooner 
or  later  must  surely  attend  it. 

"  No  power  can  afford  to  stand  up  before  man- 
kind and  openly  vote  a  new  and  untrammelled 
charter  to  injustice  and  cruelty.  God  is  an  un- 
sleeping avenger  ;  nor  can  armies,  fleets,  bul- 
warks, or  '  towers  along  the  steep,'  prevail 
against  this  mighty  avenger.  To  any  applica- 
tion for  this  unholy  recognition  there  is  but  one 
word  the  Christian  powers  can  utter.  It  is 
simply  and  austerely,  l  No,'  with  an  emphasis 
that  shall  silence  argument  and  extinguish  hope  • 
itself.  And  this  proclamation  should  go  forth 
swiftly.  Every  moment  of  hesitation  is  a  mo- 
ment of  apostasy,  casting  its  lengthening  shadow 
of  dishonor.  Not  to  discourage  is  to  encour- 
age ;  not  to  blast  is  to  bless.  Let  this  simple 
word  be  uttered,  and  slavery  will  slink  away, 
with  a  mark  on  its  forehead,  like  Cain,  a  per* 


LIFE   OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  379 

petual  vagabond,  forever  accursed ;  and  the 
malediction  of  the  Lord  shall  descend  upon  it, 
saying,  '  Among  these  nations  shalt  thou  find 
no  ease,  neither  shall  the  sole  of  thy  foot  have 
rest ;  but  the  Lord  shall  give  thee  there  a 
trembling  heart,  and  failing  of  eyes,  and  sor- 
row of  mind ;  and  thy  life  shall  hang  in  .doubt 
before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  fear  day  and  night, 
and  shalt  have  none  assurance  of  thy  life;  in 
the  morning  thou  shalt  say,  Would  God  it  were 
even,  and  at  even  thou  shalt  say,  Would  God 
it  were  morning.' 

"  And  yet,  British  statesmen,  forgetting  for 
the  moment  all  moral  distinctions,  forgetting 
God,  who  will  not  be  forgotten,  gravely  an- 
nounce that  our  cause  must  fail. 

"Alas,  individual  wickedness  is  too  often  suc- 
cessful ;  but  a  pretended  nation,  suckled  in 
wickedness  and  boasting  its  wickedness,  a  new 
Sodom,  with  all  the  guilt  of  the  old,  waiting 
to  be  blasted,  and  yet,  in  barefaced  effrontery, 
openly  seeking  the  fellowship  of  Christian  pow- 
ers, is  doomed  to  defeat.  Toleration  of  such 
a  pretension  is  practical  atheism.  Chronology 
and  geography  are  both  offended.  Piety  stands 


380        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

aghast.  In  this  age  of  light,  and  in  countries 
boasting  of  civilization,  there  can  be  no  place 
for  its  barbarous  plenipotentiaries.  As  well  ex- 
pect crocodiles  crawling  on  the  pavements  of 
London  and  Paris,  or  the  carnivorous  idols  of 
Africa  installed  for  worship  in  Westminster  Ab- 
bey and  Notre  Dame." 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  381 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Foreign  Relations.  —  Domestic  Relations.  —  Recon- 
struction of  the  Rebel  States.  —  Striking  at 
Slavery. — Rebuke  to  Young  Men  at  Albany.— 
Final  Repeal  of  Fugitive  Slave  Bills.  —  Happy 
Change.  —  Practical  Legislation.  —  Treatment 
of  Freedmen.  —  Freedmen's  Bureau.  —  The 
Coastwise  Traffic  in  Slaves. 

DURING  the  period  of  the  war,  Mr.  Stunner,  as 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations, 
where  he  was  placed  in  1861,  when  the  new  era 
came  in,  held  an  intimate  relation  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  was  constantly  consulted  on  foreign 
affairs  by  the  President  and  Secretary  of  State. 
He  was  an  authority  in  such  matters.  His  pro- 
found acquaintance  with  international  law,  his 
accurate  knowledge  of  European  affairs,  and  his 
intimacy  with  foreign  jurists  and  statesmen,  pre- 
eminently qualified  him  to  be  a  wise  counsellor. 

But,  as  we  have  seen,  he  was  equally  at  home 


382        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

in  domestic  matters.  He  profoundly  compre- 
hended the  spirit  of  our  government,  the  intent 
of  the  Constitution,  as  founded  in  universal,  im- 
partial justice,  and  sought  to  conform  the  actual 
legislation  to  its  principles.  Republicanism  with 
him  was  more  than  a  party  —  it  was  an  idea.  It 
represented  simple  justice  as  applied  to  govern- 
ment. Before  the  war,  he  had  labored  to  expel 
slavery,  as  a  foreign  element ;  and,  now  that  re- 
bellion had  opened  the  way  for  perfect  liberty,  he 
was  constantly  on  the  watch  to  follow  up  with 
new  safeguards  every  advance  towards  that  con- 
summation. He  would  cut  off  the  retreating  foe 
from  any  way  of  return. 

The  question  had  arisen,  What  shall  be  done 
with  the  rebel  States  ? 

In  February,  1862,  he  had  already  introduced 
the  subject  of  reconstruction,  in  a  series  of  reso- 
lutions, in  which  he  declared  the  right  of  Con- 
gress "  to  assume  complete  jurisdiction  "  in  the 
rebel  States,  and  "  to  establish  therein  republican 
forms  of  government  under  the  Constitution." 

The  speech  which  he  had  intended  to  make  in 
defence  of  his  views  was  published  as  an  article 
in  a  magazine,  October,  1863.  In  it  he  showed 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        383 

himself  to  be  more  practical  than  many  who  re- 
garded him  as  little  more  than  an  idealist  or  en- 
thusiast. 

Dismissing  all  fine-spun  theories  about  the 
status  of  the  rebel  States,  he  looked  at  the  actual 
condition  of  the  governments  and  people  of  those 
States.  In  fact,  there  existed  no  legal  govern- 
ments. The  majority  of  the  people  were  dis- 
loyal. Therefore,  there  existing  no  government 
that  could  be  recognized,  the  whole  region  fell  at 
once,  and  of  necessity,  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Congress.  "  The  whole  broad  rebel  region  is 
tabula  rasa,  a  clean  slate,  where  Congress,  un- 
der the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  may 
write  the  laws." 

"  Behold  the  rebel  States  in  arms  against  that 
paternal  government  to  which,  as  the  supreme 
condition  of  constitutional  existence,  they  owe 
duty  and  love  ;  and  behold  all  legitimate  powers, 
executive,  legislative,  and  judicial,  in  these 
States,  abandoned  and  vacated.  It  only  remains 
that  Congress  should  enter  and  assume  the  proper 
jurisdiction."  And  that,  he  said,  would  be  in 
the  interests  of  liberty;  for  slavery,  being  a 
local,  a  municipal  institution,  fell,  of  necessity 


384        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

with  the  fall  of  the  power  which  sustained  it. 
The  nation,  through  Congress,  could  know  noth- 
ing of  slavery. 

To  make  this  more  secure,  and  to  breathe  the 
breath  of  freedom  upon  every  part  of  the  country, 
a  constitutional  amendment,  prohibiting  slavery 
throughout  the  national  domain,  was  introduced 
in  the  House  of  Representatives  towards  the 
close  of  1863.  In  the  Senate,  Mr.  Sumner  was 
its  earnest  supporter.  It  became  a  part  of  the 
Constitution  December  18,  1865,  —  not,  alas!  till 
it  was  beyond  Mr.  Lincoln's  power  to  know  the 
result  which  he  had  looked  forward  to  with  so 
much  interest. 

But  Mr,  Sumner  was  not  willing  to  await  tne 
slow  process  of  a  Constitutional  Amendment, 
which,  after  the  action  of  Congress,  would  have 
to  be  submitted  to  all  the  States. 

"  Beyond  my  general  desire."  he  said,  "  to  see 
an  act  of  universal  emancipation,  at  once  and  for- 
ever settling  this  great  question,  .  .  .  there  are 
two  other  objects  ever  present  to  my  mind  as  a 
practical  -legislator :  First,  to  strike  at  slavery, 
wherever  I  can  hit  it ;  and  secondly,  to  clear  the 
statute-book  of  all  existing  supports  of  slavery, 


LIFE  'OP   CHARLES  SUMNER.  385 

so  that  this  great  wrong  may  fiiid  nothing  there 
to  which  it  can  cling  for  life.  .  .  . 

"  So  long  as  a  single  slave  continues  anywhere 
beneath  the  flag  of  the  Republic,  I  am  unwilling 
to  rest.  For  well  I  know  the  vitality  of  slavery, 
with  its  infinite  capacity  of  propagation,  and  how 
little  slavery  it  takes  to  make  a  Slave  State  with 
all  the  cruel  pretensions  of  slavery." 

He  would  therefore  have  immediate  action,  in 
advance  of  the  slower  method  of  amendment. 

As  a  specimen  of  Mr.  Sumner's  idea  of  "  strik- 
ing at  slavery  wherever  he  could  hit  it,"  whether 
North  or  South,  in  its  spirit  or  practice,  we 
give  his  letter  to  the  Young  Men's  Association, 
of  Albany,  within  about  a  week  after  this  speech. 
The  young  gentlemen,  it  appears,  excluded  from 
their  lecture- room  all  persons  not  of  the  "  ap- 
proved color,"  and  then  invited  Mr.  Sumner 
to  speak  on  Lafayette.  His  reply  was  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"  You  invite  me  to  deliver  an  address  on 
Lafayette.  ...  In  view  of  a  recent  incident  in 
the  history  of  your  Association,  I  am  astonished 
at  the  request. 

"  I  cannot  consent  to  speak  of  Lafayette,  who 
25 


386        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

was  not  ashamed  to  fight  beside  a  black,  soldier,  to 
an  audience  too  delicate  to  sit  beside  a  black  citi- 
zen. I  cannot  speak  of  Lafayette,  who  was  a 
friend  of  universal  liberty,  under  the  auspices 
of  a  society  which  makes  itself  the  champion  of 
caste  and  vulgar  prejudice.".  A  just  rebuke  to 
the  delicate  Albanians. 

Three  days  after,  Mr.  Sumner  followed  up  his 
attack  on  slavery  in  a  bill  for  the  "  final  repeal  of 
all  Fugitive  Slave  Acts."  He  had  given  to  the 
Senate  notice  of  his  intention  to  that  effect  as 
early  as  December  10,  1863.  About  two  months 
later  (February  8,  1864)  he  introduced  a  bill. 
But  the  subject  met  with  delay  from  various 
causes,  until  June  23,  when  it  came  up  on  a  bill 
from  the  House  for  the  repeal  of  all  Fugitive 
Slave  Acts,  which  was  passed  that  day,  and 
which,  on  the  28th,  1864,  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  signa- 
ture, became  the  law  of  the  land. 

This  was  a  hard  blow  at  slavery,  a  glorious 
triumph  of  freedom.  No  more  hunting  of  men 
and  women  through  the  free  North,  —  no  more 
dragging  them  trembling  from  their  homes  or 
hiding-places  to  Southern  plantations,  —  no  more 
converting  Northern  court-houses  into  slave-pens, 


LIFE   OP   CHARLES  SUMNER.  387 

and  no  more  surrounding  them  with  ropes  and 
chains,  under  which  judges  must  creep  into  the 
halls  of  justice,  —  no  more  degrading  a  State 
soldiery  into  the  base  service  of  helping  to  en- 
slave human  beings,  —  no  more  bowing  the  knee 
to  imperious  masters. 

The  nation  had  swept  away  one  more  relic  of 
barbarism,  and  taken  one  more  long  step  in  the 
direction  of  universal  freedom. 

In  urging  this  measure,  Mr.  Sumner,  in  the 
course  of  the  debate  upon  it,  replied  to  the 
objection,  that  it  was  not  "practical."  "If  it 
be  practical  to  relieve  the  people  from  an  uncon- 
stitutional and  oppressive  statute  ;  if  it  be  practi- 
cal to  take  away  a  badge  of  subjugation  imposed 
by  slave -masters  during  a  brutal  supremacy ; 
if  it  be  practical  to  secure  the  good  name  of  the 
Republic,  still  suffering  immeasurably  from  this 
outrage  ;  if  it  be  practical,  at  this  moment  of 
our  own  severe  trial,  to  substitute  justice  for  op- 
pression, and  thus  secure  the  favor  of  Provi- 
dence ;  and  finally,  if  it  be  practical  to  strike  at 
slavery  wherever  we  can  hit  it,  and  to  relieve 
ourselves  of  this  terrible  wrong,  —  then  is  this 
measure  eminently  practical.  It  is  as  practical 


388        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

as  justice,  as  practical  as  humanity,  as  practical  as 
duty,  which  cannot  be  postponed  " 

The  Union  cause  had  now  assumed  a  brighter 
aspect.  The  year  1863  had  been  one  of  great 
prosperity.  The  year  1864  opened  hopefully, 
and  the  prospect  of  subduing  the  rebellion  grew 
more  cheering  every  day.  General  Grant,  with 
the  title  of  Lieutenant- General,  was  assigned  to 
the  command  of  all  the  Federal  forces. 

The  rebel  forces  were  mainly  concentrated  in 
two  great  armies,  in  Virginia  and  in  Georgia. 
Against  these  it  was  the  plan  of  the  commanding 
general  to  direct  the  whole  military  power. 

In  consequence  of  our  successes  and  the  in- 
creasing prospect  of  crushing  the  rebellion, 
there  arose  a  new  and  most  important  question. 
What  shall  be  done  with  the  Freedmen  ?  It  was 
not  enough  that  slavery  had  disappeared  or  was 
departing.  There  must  be  constructed  a  "  bridge 
from  slavery  to  freedom/7  over  which  the  millions 
who  had  been  enfeebled  and  degraded  by  slavery 
might  safely  pass  into  a  condition  of  useful  citi- 
zenship. They  needed  guidance  and  protection. 

Many  plans  were  proposed  by  persons  in  and 
out  of  Congress.  The  one  finally  adopted,  March 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE.  389 

3,  1865,  creating  a  Bureau  of  Freedmen  under 
the  War  Department,  differed  in  some  particulars 
from  that  proposed  by  Mr.  Sunnier,  May  25, 1864, 
but  it  embraced  its  essential  features.  His  pref- 
erence, however,  was,  that  the  bureau  should  be 
connected  with  the  Treasury  Department. 

It  has  been  supposed  by  some  that  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  had  "  a  great  scheme  for  creating  a  new  de- 
partment of  the  government,  with  a  cabinet  officer 
at  its  head,  for  the  perpetual  care  of  the  freed- 
men,77 and  tending  "  to  perpetuate  caste."  Noth- 
ing could  be  farther  from  the  truth.  He  ex- 
pressly calls  his  plan  a  "bridge  from  slavery  to 
freedom"  He  sought  for  the  freedmen  " imme- 
diate protection  and  welfare  during  the  present 
transition  period."  "  Our  present  necessity/7  he 
said,  "  is  to  help  those  made  free  by  the  present 
war ; 77  "  to  help  the  freedmen  in  their  rough 
passage  from  slavery  to  freedom;"  "to  secure 
employment  for  them  during  the  transition  from 
one  condition  to  another.77  "  The  temporary  care 
of  the  freedmen  is  the  complement  of  emanci- 
pation.77 

The  sphere  of  the  bureau  was  afterwards  made 
to  embrace  provision  for  the  education,  as  well 


390        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

as  for  the  employment  and  protection,  of  the 
freedmen. 

The  bureau  accomplished  a  most  beneficent 
work;  notwithstanding  many  serious  mistakes  in 
its  operation,  and  cases  of  perversion  of  funds 
from  their  legitimate  purposes. 

Without  it,  the  newly-freed  would  have  found 
their  transition  much  harder  from  slavery  to 
freedom.  It  stood  between  them  and  their  late 
masters,  and  offered  help  and  encouragement. 

The  statutes  for  the  rendition  of  fugitive  slaves 
had  been  repealed.  Another  and  a  last  support 
of  slavery  still  remained — -that  which  sanctioned 
"  the  coastwise  traffic  in  slaves  under  the  flag  of 
the  United  States."  The  foreign  slave-trade 
had  been  declared  piracy.  Why  should  the 
domestic,  inter-state  commerce  in  slavery  be 
allowed  to  continue? 

March  22,  1864,  Mr.  Sumner  reported  a  bill 
for  removing  the  "  disgraceful  statute."  It  came 
up  again  June  24  and  25,  in  the  form  of  an 
amendment  to  a  civil  appropriation  bill.  It 
passed  "the  Senate  June  25,  and  on  July  2,  by 
the  President's  signature,  the  national  statute- 
book  was  thoroughly  purged  from  the  stain  of 
slavery. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        391 

Attached  to  the  same  appropriation  bill  was 
another  amendment,  also  introduced  by  the  in- 
domitable "intruder"  from  Massachusetts,  for 
"opening  the  United  States  courts  to  colored 
witnesses."  This  also  was  carried. 

While  other  senators  interposed  objections,  or 
were  favorable  to  delay  in  these  efforts  for  free- 
ing the  general  government  from  all  complicity 
with  slavery,  and  from  discriminations  against 
the  colored  people,  Mr.  Sumner  was  ever  on  the 
alert  with  his  "  besom  of  destruction,"  desiring 
to  make  a  "  clean  sweep  "  of  all  odious  and  op- 
pressive distinctions.  Some  objected  to  his 
making  use  of  appropriation  bills  for  carrying 
through  his  projects ;  but  he  told  them  that  there 
was  "  hardly  ever  an  appropriation  bill  that  was 
not  compelled  to  take  passengers  in  this  way," 
and  that  when  the  "  passengers  "  were  the  har- 
bingers of  justice  and  humanity,  he  had  no  scru- 
ples about  putting  them  on  board  —  if  the  Senate 
would  compel  him  to  seek  for  them  that  method 
of  transportation. 


392       LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  —  Reverses.  — 
Peace  Overtures.  —  Jefferson  Davis.  —  Nomi- 
nation of  General  McClellan. —  Federal  Suc- 
cesses. —  Speech  of  Mr.  Sumner  at  New  York. 
— "  Issues  of  the  Presidential  Election"  — 
Chicago  and  Baltimore.  —  Election  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. —  Mr.  Sumner' s  Speech  at  Faneuil  Hall. 

—  Great    Exultation.  —  Political    Barbers.  — 
Mr.  Lincoln's  Inaugural.  —  Reconstruction  of 
Louisiana.  —  The  Plan  opposed  by  Mr.  Sum- 
ner.— His  Reception  in  Massachusetts. —  Change 
of  Tone.  —  Praise  follows  Blame.  —  Rebel  Legis- 
lature of  Virginia.  —  Mr.   Lincoln's    Plan.  — 
Opposed  by  Mr.  Sumner.  —  Telegram  to  Rich- 
mond.— Mr.  Sumner's  Views  of  Reconstruction. 

—  Relations  between  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Sum- 
ner.—  Henry  Clay  and  Dr.  Channing.  —  Pic- 
ture/or the  Capitol.  —  Tax  on  Knowledge. 

THE  war  had  now  been  prosecuted  more  than 
three  years.  With  high  hopes  of  its  speedy 
termination,  the  Union  National  Convention  met 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE.        393 

at  Baltimore,  and  unanimously  re-nominated 
Abraham  Lincoln  for  President. 

But  soon  reverses  came,  financial  embarrass- 
ments increased,  and  a  general  gloom  overspread 
the  country. 

Under  these  circumstances  peace  overtures 
were  attempted.  Jefferson  Davis  was  interro- 
gated as  to  his  views  of  a  peaceful  settlement 
of  the  difficulties  between  the  North  and  South. 
He  would  listen  to  no  proposition  of  peace  which 
did  not  recognize  Southern  independence. 

The  Democratic  party  now  sounded  the  cry, 
"  A  four  years'  failure  ! "  There  were  some  re- 
spectable but  misguided  men  who  joined  in  the 
dirge,  but  with  them  was  a  large  following  of 
traitors,  who  now,  at  the  first  sign  of  ill  success, 
crept  forth  from  their  hiding-places  for  a  last  des- 
perate effort  to  save  slavery  from  impending 
doom. 

They  came  together,  these  enemies  within  the 
camp,  of  high  and  of  low  degree,  in  a  so-called 
National  Convention,  at  Chicago,  August  29. 
There,  bitter  and  even  treasonable  words  were 
spoken  against  the  administration,  and  especially 
its  interference  with  slavery.  General  McClellan 
was  nominated  for  President. 


394        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

The  convention  had  scarcely  broken  up  when 
-splendid  successes-  came,  under  Sherman  and 
Farragut.  The  public  confidence  and  hope  were 
strong  that  at  last  the  rebellion  was  nigh  to 
death. 

The  presidential  canvass  was  full  of  impor- 
tance, and  awakened  a  profound  interest.  Mr. 
Seward  stated  the  issues  thus :  "  McClellan  and 
Disunion  —  Lincoln  and  Union." 

Just  before  the  election,  Mr.  Sumner  delivered 
a  speech  at  New  York  (November  5,  1864)  on 
The  Issues  of  the  Presidential  Election.  In  it  he 
said,  "  There  is  a  wide-spread  political  party, 
which,  true  to  its  history,  now  comes  forward  to 
save  belligerent  slavery,  —  even  at  this  last  mo- 
ment, when  it  is  about  to  be  trampled  out  for- 
ever. Not  to  save  the  country,  but  to  save 
belligerent  slavery,  is  the  object  of  the  misnamed 
Democracy.  Asserting  the  war,  in  which  so 
much  has  been  done,  to  be  a  failure  .  .  .  this 
party  openly  offers  surrender  to  the  rebellion. 
I  do  not  use  too  strong  language.  It  is  actual 
surrender  and  capitulation  ...  in  one  of  two 
forms:  (1)  by  acknowledging  the  rebel  States, 
so  that  they  shall  be  treated  as  independent ;  or 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        395 

(2)  by  acknowledging  slavery,  so  that  it  shall  be 
restored  to  its  old  supremacy  over  the  national 
government,  with  additional  guarantees.  .  .  . 
Both  pivot  on  slavery.  One  acknowledges  the 
slave  power  out  of  the  Union ;  the  other  acknowl- 
edges .the  slave  power  in  the  Union. 

"  Look,'7  he  said,  "  at  the  Chicago  platform  or 
candidate  as  you  will,  and  you  are  constantly 
brought  back  to  slavery  as  the  animating  impulse. 

"  Look  at  the  Baltimore  platform  or  candidate, 
and  you  are  constantly  brought  back  to  liberty  as 
the  animating  impulse. 

"  And  thus  again  slavery  and  liberty  stand  face 
to  face  —  the  slave-ship  against  the  Mayflower. 

"  Never  was  grander  cause  or  sublimer  conflict. 
Who  is  not  saddened  at  the  thought  of  precious 
lives  given  to  liberty's  defence  ?  The  soil  of  the 
rebellion  is  soaked  with  patriot  blood,  its  turf  is 
bursting  with  patriot  dead.  Surely  they  have 
not  died  in  vain.  The  flag  they  upheld  will  con- 
tinue to  advance.  But  this  depends  upon  your 
votes.  Therefore,  for  the  sake  of  that  flag,  and 
for  the  sake  of  the  brave  men  who  bore  it,  now 
sleeping  where  no  trumpet  of  battle  can  wake 
them,  stand  by  the  flag." 


396  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

November  8,  Mr.  Sumner  was  at  Boston,  at  a 
meeting  in  Faneuil  Hall.  As  the  votes  were  an- 
nounced giving  assurance  that  Abraham  Lincoln 
was  elected,  he  spoke,  as  the  mouthpiece  of  the 
assembly,  of  the  free  North,  and  of  oppressed 
millions  at  the  South,  words  of  enthusiastic  grat- 
itude :  — - 

"  The  trumpet  of  victory  is  now  sounding 
through  the  land, '  Glory,  Hallelujah  ! '  It  is  the 
silver  trumpet  of  an  archangel,  echoing  in  val- 
leys, traversing  mountains,  and  filling  the  whole 
country  with  immortal  melodies,  destined  to 
awaken  other  echoes  in  the  most  distant  places, 
as  it  proclaims  l  Liberty  throughout  all  the  land, 
unto  all  the  inhabitants  thereof.' 

"  Such  is  the  victory  we  celebrate,  marking  an 
epoch  in  our  history  and  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  .  .  .  The  voice  of  the  people  at  the  ballot- 
box  has  echoed  back  that  great  letter  of  the 
President,  '  To  whom  it  may  concern,'  declaring 
the  integrity  of  the  Union  and  the  abandonment 
of  slavery  the  two  essential  conditions  of  peace. 

"  Let  the  glad  tidings  go  forth,  '  to  whom  it 
may  concern/'  —  to  all  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  at  length  now  made  wholly  free  —  to  for- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        397 

eign  countries  —  to  the  whole  family  of  man  — 
to  posterity  —  to  the  martyred  band  who  have 
fallen  in  battle  for  their  country  —  to  the  angels 
above  —  ay,  and  to  the  devils  below,  —  that  this 
republic  shall  live,  for  Slavery  is  dead.  This  is 
the  great  joy  we  now  announce  to  the  world." 

In  merrier  words,  but  no  less  serious  strain, 
Mr.  Sumner  wrote,  a  day  or  two  later,  to  the 
Young  Men's  Republican  Union  of  New  York, — 

"  Thank  God,  the  pettifoggers  of  compromise 
are  answered  by  the  people,  who  demand  peace 
on  the  everlasting  foundations  of  Union  and  Lib- 
erty. 

"  The  political  barbers,  who  undertake  to  pre- 
scribe when  they  can  only  shave,  are  warned  that 
their  quackery  is  at  an  end." 

Surely  it  was  "  at  an  end ;  "  for  at  the  next 
session  of  Congress  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  re-elec- 
tion, the  Constitutional  Amendment  abolishing 
and  forever  prohibiting  slavery  in  the  United 
States,  was  passed. 

Mr.  Lincoln  followed  with  his  Inaugural,  in 
which,  with  a  solemnity  and  pathos,  and  a  deeply 
religious  strain,  that  seemed  to  betoken  a  con- 
sciousness that  his  work  was  almost  done,  and  in 


398        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEE. 

language  rather  like  a  prophet's  than  like  a 
statesman's,  he  spoke  of  the  sin  and  woe  of 
slavery. 

"  The  Almighty,"  he  said,  "  has  his  own  pur- 
poses. l  Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  offences ; 
for  it  must  needs  be  that  offences  come,  but  woe 
to  that  man  by  whom  the  offence  cometh.' 

"  If  we  shall  suppose  that  American  Slavery 
is  one  of  these  offences,  which,  in  the  providence 
of  God,  must  needs  come,  but  which,  having 
continued  through  His  appointed  time,  He  now 
wills  to  remove,  and  that  He  gives  to  both  North 
and  South  this  terrible  war,  as  the  .woe  due  to 
those  by  whom  the  offence  came,  shall  we  dis- 
cern therein  any  departure  from  those  divine 
attributes  which  the  believers  in  a  loving  God 
always  ascribe  to  Him?" 

About  a  fortnight  previous  to  the  inauguration 
of  the  President,  a  resolution  was  introduced 
into  the  Senate,  by  Mr.  Trumbull,  recognizing 
the  new  State  government  of  Louisiana,  to  be 
inaugurated  under  General  Banks. 

This  was  a  favorite  measure  with  Mr.  Lincoln. 
"  With  malice  towards  none,  and  charity  for  all," 
he  was  anxious  to  have  the  work  of  reconstruc- 
tion and  good- will  go  forward. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        399 

Mr.  Sumner  was  as  earnest  for  this  as  was  the 
President,  but  in  this  particular  case,  as  often  at 
other  times,  they  differed  as  to  means. 

Mr.  Sumner  frankly  stated  his  objections,  in 
private,  to  the  President,  and  also  in  the  Senate. 
The  new  government  recognized  "  an  oligarchy 
of  the  skin  ;  "  there  ought  to  be  "  no  reconstruc- 
tion .without  the  votes  of  the  blacks."  He  took 
his  position  against  the  bill.  If  in  no  other  way, 
he  would  talk  it  down. 

It  was  near  the  close  of  the  session  ;  most 
important  business  was  pressing  for  action ;  but 
Mr.  Sumner  was  resolved  not  to  be  driven  from 
his  purpose.  "  Such  a  revolutionary  measure  " 
must  be  defeated.  To  put  power  into  the  hands 
of  men  just  emerged  from  rebellion,  and  full  of 
prejudice  against  the  blacks,  leaving  the  latter  at 
the  mercy  of  the  former,  without  a  voice  in  the 
new  government,  was,  he  thought,  most  unsafe 
for  the  country,  most  unjust. to  one  half  the  popu- 
lation of  Louisiana,  and  a  most  dangerous  pre- 
cedent in  the  coming  work  of  reconstruction.  It 
was  necessary  to  begin  right.  To  prevent  so 
great  a  wrong  and  peril  was,  in  his  view,  far 
more  important  than  to  pass  appropriation  or  any 


400        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

other  bills.  A  mistake  here  might  lose  whatever 
had  been  gained. 

And  so  he  piled  up  documents  upon  his  desk, 
preliminary  to  a  determined  battle.  He  would 
talk  against  time.  He  would  defeat  the  bill. 
Senators  beheld  with  dismay  these  formidable 
preparations.  "  Do  you  intend,"  said  one  mem- 
ber, an  intimate  friend,  "  by  parliamentary  .tac- 
tics, to  stop  all  the  business  of  the  Chamber  ?  " 
"  I  do,"  said  he ;  "I  shall  employ  every  parlia- 
mentary device  which  is  allowable.  I  shall  pro- 
pose amendments.  I  shall  talk  and  talk,  till  you 
are  glad  to  surrender." 

He  did  talk  j  his  documental  ammunition  ena- 
bled him,  from  day  to  day,  to  keep  up  a  running 
fire,  which  bore  down  all  opposition,  and  a  sur- 
render came.  That  commanding  presence,  that 
resolute  look,  those  eloquent  pleas  for  justice, 
those  constant  discharges  of  facts  and  arguments, 
that  determination  to  conquer,  carried  the  day. 
The  bill  went  by  default.  The  country  was  saved 
from  a  great  peril. 

It  was  said  that  the  President  took  the  defeat 
of  the  bill  much  to  heart,  and  it  was  supposed 
that  now  there  was  an  irreparable  breach  be- 
tween him  and  the  sturdy  senator. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        401 

But  they  were  both  magnanimous,  and,  firmly 
believing  each  in  the  other's  honesty  of  purpose, 
could  differ  without  malice. 

"  On  the  night  of  the  6th  of  March,"  says 
Mr.  Schurz,  "  two  days  after  Lincoln's  second 
inauguration,  the  customary  inauguration  ball 
was  to  take  place.  Sumner  did  not  think  of 
attending  it.  But  towards  evening  he  received 
a  .card  from  the  President,  which  read  thus :  —  ' 

'  DEAR  MR.  SUMNER  :  Unless  you  send  me  word 
to  the  contrary,  I  shall  this  evening  call  with 
my  carriage  at  your  house  to  take  you  with  me 
to  the  inauguration  ball. 

1  Sincerely  yours, 

1  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 

"  Mr.  Sumner,  deeply  touched,  at  once  made  up 
his  mind  to  go  to  an  inauguration  ball  for  the  first 
time.  Soon  the  carriage  arrived,  tha  President 
invited  Sumner  to  take  a  seat  in  it  with  him,  and 
Sumner  found  there  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Colfax, 
the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
Arrived  at  the  ball-room,  the  President  asked 
Mr.  Sumner  to  offer  his  arm  to  Mrs.  Lincoln ;  and 
the  astonished  spectators,  who  had  been  made  to 
believe  that  the  breach  between  Lincoln  and 
26 


402  LIFE   OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Sumner  was  irreparable,  beheld  the  President's 
wife  on  the  arm  of  the  senator,  and  the  senator, 
on  that  occasion  of  state,  invited  to  take  the  seat 
of  honor  by  the  President's  side.  Not  a  word 
passed  between  them  about  their  disagreement. 

"  The  world  became  convinced  that  such  a 
friendship  between  such  men  could  not  be  broken 
by  a  mere  honest  difference  of  opinion.  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  a  man  of  sincere  and  profound  con- 
victions himself,  esteemed  and  honored  sincere 
and  profound  convictions  in  others.  It  was  thus 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  composed  his  quarrels  with 
his  friends ;  and  at  his  bedside,  when  he  died, 
there  was  no  mourner  more  deeply  afflicted  than 
Charles  Sumner." 

When,  at  the  close  of  the  session,  Mr.  Sumner 
returned  to  Massachusetts,  nearly  all  the  papers 
denounced  him.  He  met  with  a  frown  every- 
where. He  was  obstinate.  He  was  impractica- 
ble. He  was  dictatorial.  He  was  a  theorist. 
He  descended  to  stratagems  to  carry  a  point. 
He  was  standing  in  the  way  of  reconciliation. 
He  was  anything  but  a  wise  statesman  and  a  good 
son  of  Massachusetts.  But  before  he  resumed 
his  seat  at  Washington,  events  which  had  trans- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  8UMNER.        403 

pired  in  Louisiana  convinced  everybody  that  he 
was  right.  He  was  no  longer  an  idealist.  He  was 
no  longer  self-willed.  He  was  proved  to  be  the 
most  practical  and  sagacious  of  all  the  great  men 
at  Washington.  How  often  did  these  changes  of 
popular  opinion  attend  Mr.  Sumner's  public  life ! 
We  may  here  refer  to  a  somewhat  similar  case 
of  later  occurrence.  When,  after  Lee's  sur- 
render, Mr.  Lincoln  went  to  Richmond,  he  was 
solicited  by  persons  of  the  vanquished  party  to 
allow  the  rebel  legislature  to  convene,  with  a 
view  to  the  reconstruction  of  Virginia  as  a  loyal 
State.  The  gentlemen  were  submissive  and 
courteous ;  they  made  fair  promises  •,  they  moved 
the  heart  of  the  noble  but  too  credulous  Presi- 
dent ;  and  he  told  them  to  go  forward.  His  fond 
dream  of  a  restored  Union  seemed  on  the  dawn 
of  fulfilment.* 

*  The  following  is  Mr.  Lincoln's  letter  of  permission :  — 

"  CITY  POINT,  August  6,  1865. 

"  MAJOR  GENERAL  WEITZEL,  Richmond,  Virginia ;  It  has  been 
intimated  to  me  that  the  gentlemen  who  have  acted  as  the  legisla- 
ture of  Virginia  in  support  of  the  rebellion,  may  now  desire  to  as- 
semble at  Richmond  and  take  measures  to  withdraw  the  Virginia 
troops  and  other  support  from  resistance  to  the  general  gov- 
ernment. If  they  attempt  it,  give  them  permission  and  protec- 
tion, until,  if  at  all,  they  attempt  some  action  hostile  to  the  United 


404  LIFE.  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

He  went  back.  The  happy  news  from  Virgin- 
ia was  received  with  joy  in  Washington.  There 
was  a  general  approval  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  plan.  But 
there  was  one  most  decided  exception.  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  hurried  to  the  President.  He  had  a  hearing. 
"  What  have  you  done  ?  "  he  asked.  "  A  govern- 
ment under  rebel  control  will  undo  what  has 
been  done.  Slavery,  in  some  form,  will  creep 
back  into  Virginia.  The  blood  of  the  army  will 
have  been  shed  in  vain.  Such  a  legislature  as 
you  have  encouraged  must  not  be  allowed  to 
assemble." 

At  the  door  were  waiting  Mr.  Seward  and  oth- 
er wise  Republicans.  When  Mr.  Sumner  passed 
out,  they  went  in.  "  You  have  done  right,"  said 
they  to  the  President.  "  You  have  shown  a  noble 
spirit  of  conciliation.  Your  course  will  win  back 
the  South.  You  must  not  listen  to  Mr.  Sumner. 
He  is  an  impracticable  man.  His  policy  will  irri- 

States ;  in  which  case  you  will  notify  them,  giving  them  reasonable 
time  to  leave,  and  at  the  end  of  which  time  arrest  any  who  remain. 
Allow  Judge  Campbell  to  see  this,  but  do  not  make  it  public. 

"  Yours,  &c., 

"  A.  LINCOLN." 

The  President  returned  to  Washington  April  9.  Three  days  after 
he  sent  to  Richmond  a  recall  of  the  above  permission.  In  two 
days  more  he  was  assassinated. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        405 

tate  the  South,  and  endanger  or  delay  reconstruc- 
tion." 

Mr.  Lincoln  heard  them  through  ;  the  telegram 
that  was  sent  to  Richmond  the  next  day,  order- 
ing delay,  told  what  Mr.  Lincoln  thought  of  Mr. 
Sumner  and  his  opinions.  And  again  the  country 
was  saved  through  a  man  who  dared  to  stand 
alone. 

The  time  is  coming  when  the  true  history  of 
events  will  show  that,  in  several  important  crises, 
Mr.  Sumner  stood  alone  in  the  breach,  and  saved 
the  nation.  He  had  rare  sagacity  and  courage. 
The  country  owes  him  a  debt  of  gratitude  which 
even  now  she  cannot  duly  estimate. 

And  the  South  have  begun  to  learn  that  even 
when  he  opposed  reconstruction  on  their  grounds, 
he  was  seeking  their  best  interests,  because  seek- 
ing it  on  a  permanent  basis  of  justice  to  all.  He 
thought  it  no  unreasonable  hardship  that  those 
who  had  sought  to  overthrow  the  national  gov- 
ernment should  stand  modestly  aside  until  their 
passions  had  subsided,  and  until  sure  guarantees 
could  be  effected  for  the  rights  of  the  colored 
people.  Peace  was  in  his  heart.  But  it  was  no 
deceptive  peace.  It  was  peace  springing  from 


406  LIFE  OF   CHARLES   SUMNEB. 

impartial  justice,  involving  the  righteous  adjust- 
ment of  the  relations  between  whites  and  blacks. 

In  this  connection  we  may  add  what  Mr. 
Schurz  further  remarks  about  the  relations  of 
these  great  men  to  each  other.  Speaking  of  Mr. 
Lincoln,  he  says,  — 

"Mr.  Sumner  he  treated  as  a  favorite  coun- 
sellor, almost  like  a  Minister  of  State,  outside  of 
the  cabinet.  There  were  statesmen  around  the 
President  who  were  also  politicians,  understand- 
ing the  art  of  management.  Mr.  Lincoln  appre- 
ciated the  value  of  their  advice  as  to  what  was 
prudent  and  practicable.  But  he  knew  also  how 
to  discriminate.  In  Mr.  Sumner  he  saw  a  coun- 
sellor who  was  no  politician,  but  who  stood  before 
him  as  the  true  representative  of  the  moral  ear- 
nestness and  the  great  inspirations  of  their  com- 
mon cause.  From  him  he  heard  what  was  right, 
and  necessary,  and  inevitable.  By  the  former  he 
was  told  what,  in  their  opinion,  could  prudently 
and  safely  be  done.  Having  heard  them  both, 
Abraham  Lincoln  counselled  with  himself,  and 
formed  his  resolution. 

"  Thus  Mr.  Lincoln,  while  scarcely  ever  fully 
and  speedily  following  Sumner's  advice,  never 


LIFE   OF  CHARLES  StTMNER.  407 

ceased  to  ask  for  it,  for  he  knew  its  significance. 
And  Simmer,  while  almost  always  dissatisfied 
with  Lincoln's  cautious  hesitation,  never  grew 
weary  in  giving  his  advice,  for  he  never  dis- 
trusted Lincoln's  fidelity.  Always  agreed  as  to 
the  ultimate  end,  they  almost  always  differed  as 
to  times  and  means ;  but  while  differing,  they 
firmly  trusted,  for  they  understood  one  another." 

Among  the  causes  which  led  to  the  differing 
views  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Sumner,  and  to 
their  peculiar  relations  to  each  other,  we  may 
mention  the  influence,  intellectual  and  political, 
upon  the  former,  of  Henry  Clay,  and  upon  the 
latter,  of  Dr.  Channing.  Henry  Clay  was  the 
great  leader  of  the  Whig  party,  and  his  Life  was 
read  with  avidity  by  Lincoln  in  his  boyhood, 
and  his  example  and  teachings,  in  after  years, 
had  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  formation  of 
Mr.  Lincoln's  opinions  on  public  questions.  Dr. 
Channing  was,  to  an  important  extent,  the  teach- 
er and  model  of  Sumner  in  his  younger  days,  as 
a  great  foe  to  war  and  slavery. 

Clay,  as  well  as  Channing,  was  opposed  to 
slavery.  Both  the  statesman  and  the  divine  de- 
sired its  extermination.  But  while  the  former 


408  LIFE.  OP   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

was  largely  governed  in  his  methods  by  consid- 
erations of  expediency,  the  latter  viewed  the 
subject  in  its  profounder  moral  aspects,  and  was 
more  earnest  and  radical.  These  differences  ap- 
pear in  their  disciples. 

Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Simmer  had  the  same 
hatred  of  slavery,  and  an  equal  desire  for  its  ex- 
tinction; but  they  often,  as  in  the  case  just  con- 
sidered, differed  widely  as  to  methods.  The 
former,  though  far  in  advance  of  his  teacher  in 
his  attitude  towards  slavery,  yet  felt  the  influence 
of  the  great  compromiser,  and  was  slow  and  hes- 
itating compared  with  Mr.  Sumner.  The  lat- 
ter, having  the  most  intense  convictions  of  sla- 
very as  an  unmitigated  wrong,  would  make  no 
terms  with  it.  He  could  brook  no  delay  in  deal- 
ing with  it.  He  demanded  immediate  and  un- 
conditional emancipation. 

They  both  desired  emancipation,  and  they  both 
reached  it ;  but  the  one  at  a  bound,  the  other 
slowly,  feeling  his  way  cautiously  along ;  the  one 
certain  that  it  was  always  safe  to  do  right,  the 
other  equally  sure  of  that,  but  not  quite  sure  the 
right  time  had  come. 

As  they  differed  about  slavery,  so  also  about 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER.        409 

the  reconstruction  of  the  insurgent  States,  and 
according  to  the  different  kinds  of  influence  they 
"bad  each  come  under,  in  Illinois  or  Massachusetts. 

While  the  Louisiana  bill  was  under  considera- 
tion, Mr.  Sumner,  following  up  his  purpose  of 
securing  a  guarantee  of  republican  governments 
in  the  rebel  States,  by  which  all,  without  distinc- 
tion of  color,  might  have  equal  rights  and  privi- 
leges, introduced  a  series  of  resolutions  to  that 
effect. 

That,  in  his  radical  measures  Mr.  Sumner  was 
governed  by  the  highest  considerations  of  jus 
tice,  and  a  delicate  regard  to  the  interests  and 
honor  of  the  whole  country,  is  evident  from  his 
treatment  of  a  proposition  in  the  Senate,  Febru- 
ary 27,  "  to  purchase  a  picture  for  the  Capitol." 
He  offered  an  amendment :  — 

"  Provided,  That  in  the  National  Capitol,  de- 
voted to  the  National  Union,  there  shall  be  no 
picture  of  a  victory  in  battle  with  our  fellow- 
citizens." 

Here,  too,  Mr.  Sumner  stood  alone.  Mr.  Wil- 
son and  Mr.  Howe  dissented  from  him  entirely, 
and  the  amendment  was  rejected  without  a  divis- 
ion. But  here,  as  often,  Mr.  Sumner  was  far 
in  advance  of  his  countrymen. 


410        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

The  same  day,  and  in  the  same  large  and  lib- 
eral spirit,  he  opposed  a  .proposition  to  lay  a  tax 
on  books.  The  country,  in  its  struggle  with  the 
rebellion,  needed  all  the  money  she  could  get, 
but  he  thought  it  poor  economy  to  impose  a  tax 
on  knowledge. 

But  here  also  Mr.  Sumner  was  in  a  small  mi- 
nority, and  his  amendment  was  lost. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        411 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

President  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Sumner  at  Richmond. 

—  Passage  from    "  Macbeth."  —  Mr.   Lincoln's 
Assassination. — Mr.    Seward's  Life  attempted. 

—  Mr.  Sumner  at  the  Dickens  Dinner.  —  His 
Account  of  the  Night  of  the  Assassination.— 
Mr.  Sumner's  Eulogy  on  President  Lincoln.  — 
Divine  Providence.  —  Mr.  Lincoln's  early  Man- 
hood. —  His  Departure  for   Washington.  —  His 
Speech  at    Gettysburg.  —  His   Second  Inaugu- 
ral. —  His  Intellectual  Character. 

AND  now  we  have  reached  a  sad  period  of  the 
national  history. 

Sherman  has  triumphed  over  the  lower  army 
of  the  South,  Richmond  has  fallen,  Lee  surren- 
dered, and  the  rebellion  come  to  an  end.  It  is 
a  time  of  universal  joy.  But  sorrow  is  at  the 
door. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1865,  the  President, 
attended  by  Mrs.  Lincoln,  the  Vice-President, 


412  LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER. 

and  several  Senators,  among  them  Mr.  Sumner, 
made  a  visit  to  evacuated  Richmond.  It  was 
then  that  the  President,  sitting  by  Mr.  Sumner 
on  the  deck  of  the  steamboat,  read  aloud,  "  from 
a  beautiful  quarto  Shakspeare  in  his  hand,"  those 
sad,  prophetic  words  in  Ma*cbeth, — 

"  Duncan  is  in  his  grave : 
After  life's  fitful  fever  he  sleeps  well. 
Treason  has  done  her  worst :  nor  steel,  nor  poison, 
Malice  domestic,  foreign  levy,  nothing 
Can  touch  him  farther !  " 

Mr.  Sumner,  in  his  eulogy  upon  Mr.  Lincoln, 
in  September  following,  says  that,  "impressed 
by  their  beauty,  or  by  some  presentiment  un- 
uttered,  he  read  them  aloud  a  second  time." 

A  week  more,  and  the  prophecy  is  fulfilled  ! 
Treason  did  its  worst.  Our  noble  President 
fell  by  a  shot  from  an  assassin  shouting,  "  Sic 
semper  tyrannis  1"  *  And  to  think  that  he,  so 
simple-hearted,  so  magnanimous,  so  true  a  friend 
to  the  humblest  and  weakest,  should  have  been 
reckoned  among  tyrants  !  But  this  was  the  last 
frenzied  shriek  of  the  rebellion.  The  evil  spirit 
went  out  of  it,  foaming  and  rending. 

But  the   President  was   not   the   only  object 

*  May  such  always  be  the  fate  of  tyrants. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        413 

of  vengeance.  Secretary  Seward  and  two  of 
his  sons  came  near  suffering  the  same  fate. 
Others,  doubtless,  had  been  marked  for  attack, 
but  escaped,  perhaps  because  of  the  general 
alarm  which  was  immediately  awakened. 

Mr.  Sumner  was  for  some  time  thought  by 
his  friends  to  be  in  peril  of  his  life,  and  he 
was  urged  to  arm  himself,  and  use  other  pre- 
cautions against  threatened  danger.  But  he 
refused  to  do  so. 

The  colored  people  of  Washington  were  par- 
ticularly concerned  for  his  safety,  and  sent  a 
committee,  among  whom  was  Rev.  Mr.  Grimes, 
of  Boston,  then  in  Washington,  to  urge  him 
to  accept  a  guard  whom  they  would  feel  proud 
to  provide,  and  who  might,  unknown  to  the 
public,  watch  over  his  person  and  house.  He 
thanked  them  most  heartily  for  their  kindness,, 
but  firmly  declined  their  proffer,  saying  that 
he  had  only  done  his  duty  in  contending  for 
their  rights,  and  that  if  it  was  God's  will  that 
he  should  now  go,  he  was  ready  for  the  event. 
He  would  leave  himself  in  God's  hands. 

A  friend  has  furnished  us  with  some  remarks 
of  Mr.  Sumner,  at  a  little  dinner-party  given  by 


414  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

him,  in  Washington,  February,  2,  1868,  in  honor 
of  Mr.  Dickens,  in  which  he  gave  an  account 
of  the  assassination  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 

Between  nine  and  ten  of  that  Friday  evening 
he  was  in  pleasant  conversation  with  Mr.  Con- 
ners,  when  the  door  was  thrown  open,  and  d 
young  man  rushed  in  with  his  hair  almost  on 
end,  and  said,  "Mr.  Lincoln  is  assassinated  in 
the  theatre.  Mr.  Seward  is  murdered  in  his 
bed.  There's  murder  in  the  streets  ! " 

Mr.  Sumner  said  he  could  not  credit  it,  and 
replied,  "  Young  man,  be  moderate  in  your  state- 
ments —  what  has  happened  ?  Tell  us  ! "  He 
replied,  indignantly,  "  I  have  told  you  what  has 
happened/'  and  repeated  his  statements. 

Mr.  Sumner  said  that  he  then  left  and  went  to 
the  White  House,  where  he  found  the  sentinel 
quietly  pacing  before  the  mansion.  He  asked 
him  whether  Mr.  Lincoln  had  returned.  "  No," 
was  his  reply,  "  and  we  have  heard  nothing  from 
him!" 

Mr.  Sumner  then  went  to  the  door,  and  put 
the  same  question  to  the  porter,  from  whom 
he  received  a  similar  reply. 

He   then  said,  "They  say  that  the  President 


LIFE  OP  CHAELES  SUMNER.        415 

has  been  assassinated."  Whereupon  the  porter 
rushed  up  stairs  and  told  Robert  Lincoln,  who 
at  once  came  down.  As  Mr.  Sumner  turned 
to  go,  Robert  joined  him.  They  found  a  hack 
at  the  door,  but  who  sent  it  no  one  ever  knew. 
They  jumped  in,  and  drove  with  great  rapidity 
till  they  reached  the  theatre,  where  they  found 
a  startled  crowd. 

Mr.  Sumner  passed  by  the  sentinels,  and,  as  he 
entered  the  building,  found  where  Mr.  Lincoln 
had  been  carried.  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  Miss  Harris 
were  standing  in  the  entry.  Mrs.  Lincoln  rushed 
up  to  him  with  many  exclamations,  and  asked 
him  whether  her  husband  was  dead.  He  in- 
formed her  that  he  had  just  come,  and  knew  noth- 
ing of  what  had  happened,  but  had  brought 
her  son.  He  then  passed  into  the  room  where 
Mr.  Lincoln  was.  He  was  lying  on  the  bed, 
stretched  diagonally  across  it,  —  for  he  was  very 
tall,  —  his  head  hanging  over  a  little  to  accomo- 
date  the  blood,  which  was  flowing  freely  from  the 
wound.  He  was  breathing  heavily,  his  eyes 
were  half  open,  and  his  face  looked  perfectly 
fresh  and  natural. 

Mr.  Sumner  sat  down  at  the  head  of  the  bed, 


416  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

took  the  President's  right  hand  in  his,  and  spoke 
to  him.  One  of  the  surgeons  said,  "  It  is  of  no 
use,  Mr.  Sumner  —  he  can't  hear  you — he  is 
dead." 

Mr.  Sumner  resented  the  idea,  and  said,  "  No, 
he  isn't  dead  —  look  at  his  face  —  he  is  breath- 
ing." 

"  It  will  never  be  anything  more  than  this/7 
was  the  answer. 

There  Mr.  Sumner  sat  during  the  whole  night, 
listening  to  his  breathing,  which  sounded  almost 
like  melody,  till,  at  twenty  minutes  past  seven,  it 
stopped. 

He  then  said,  "  Now  for  Mr.  Seward ;  "  for  he 
had  heard  nothing  from  him,  and  turned  to  go 
out.  He  found  General  Halleck  a  few  feet  in 
front  of  him,  and  as  he  had  a  carriage,  Mr.  Sumner 
asked  him  to  take  him  as  far  as  Mr.  Seward's. 
The  general  said  he  was  going  to  see  Vice- 
President  Johnson,  and  tell  him  not  to  stir  out 
that  day  without  a  guard.  After  he  had  seen  Mr. 
Johnson,  he  would  carry  him  where  he  liked. 

They  got  into  the  carriage,  and  as  they  passed 
through  the  crowd,  people  asked,  "  How  is  Mr. 
Lincoln?  Is  he  alive?"  He  shook  his  head, 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        417 

and  they  drove  on  to  the  Kirkwood  House,  where 
General  Halleck  did  an  errand,  and  then  to  Mr. 
Seward's. 

Mr.  Sumner  sent  up  his  card  to  Mrs.  Seward, 
and  said  that  she  might  like  to  see  him.  She 
sent  for  him.  As  he  started  to  go  up  to  the 
third  story,  he  found  her  half  way  down  the 
stairs,  seated,  and  dressed  in  white.  She  seized 
him  by  both  his  hands,  and  said,  "  Charles  Sum- 
ner, they  have  murdered  my  husband,  they  have 
murdered  my  boy.  Fred  is  dying.  He  will 
never  speak  to  me  again." 

Mr.  Sumner  tried  to  say  that  he  hoped  it  was 
not  so  bad,  and  asked  how  her  husband  was. 

"Henry  is  doing  better  than  I  expected,"  she 
replied,  "but  Fred  will  never  speak  to  me 
again."  Then  suddenly  rising,  she  threw  off  his 
hands,  and  said,  "  I  must  fly,"  and  disappeared. 

Mr.  Sumner  said  he  never  saw  her  again. 

The  city  of  Boston  wished  to  do  honor  to  the 
memory  of  the  martyred  President,  and  invited 
the  elder  of  the  senators  of  the  Commonwealth  to 
deliver  a  eulogy  on  the  first  day  of  June. 

Mr.  Sumner  began  his  eulogy  with  these  im- 
pressive words :  — 
27 


418        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

"In  the  universe  of  God  there  are  no  acci- 
dents. From  the  fall  of  a  sparrow  to  the  fall 
of  an  empire  or  the  sweep  of  a  planet,  all  is  ac- 
cording to  divine  Providence,  whose  laws  are 
everlasting.  No  accident  gave  to  his  country 
the  patriot  we  now  honor.  No  accident  snatched 
this  patriot,  so  suddenly  and  so  cruelly,  from  his 
sublime  duties.  Death  is  as  little  an  accident  as 
life.  Never,  perhaps,  in  history  has  this  Provi- 
dence been  more  conspicuous  than  in  that  recent 
procession  of  events  where  the  final  triumph  is 
wrapped  in  the  gloom  of.  tragedy.  It  is  our 
present  duty  to  find  the  moral  of  this  stupendous 
drama. " 

Speaking  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  early  manhood,  Mr. 
Sumner  said,  with  great  truth  and  beauty,  — 

"  His  youth  was  now  spent,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  left  his  father's  house  to  begin 
the  world.  A  small  bundle,  a  laughing  face,  and 
an  honest  heart,  —  these  were  his  simple  posses- 
sions, together  with  that  unconscious  character 
and  intelligence  which  his  country  learned  to 
prize. 

"  In  the  long  history  of  worth  depressed,  there 
is  no  instance  of  such  contrast  between  the  de- 


LIFE   OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  419 

pression  and  the  triumph.  No  academy,  no  uni- 
versity, no  Alma  Mater  of  science  or  learning, 
nourished  him.  No  government  took  him  by  the 
hand  and  gave  him  the  gift  of  opportunity.  No 
inheritance  of  land  or  money  fell  to  him.  No 
friend  stood  by  his  side.  He  was  alone  in  pov- 
erty; and  yet  not  all  alone.  There  was  God 
above,  who  watches  all,  and  does  not  desert  the 
lowly.  Plain  in  -  person,  life,  and  manners,  and 
knowing  absolutely  nothing  of  form  or  ceremony, 
for  six  months  with  a  village  schoolmaster  as  his 
only  teacher,  he  grew  up  in  companionship  with 
the  people,  with  nature,  with  trees,  with  the 
fruitful  corn,  and  with  the  stars. 

"  While  yet  a  child  his  father  ha"d  borne  him 
away  from  a  soil  wasted  by  slavery,  and  he  was 
now  a  citizen  of  a  Free  State,  where  free  labor 
had  been  placed  under  safeguard  of  irreversible 
compact  and  fundamental  law.  And  thus  he 
took  leave  of  youth,  happy  at  least  that  he  could 
go  forth  under  the  day-star  of  Liberty." 

Mr.  Lincoln's  departure  for  Washington  is  thus 
described :  — 

"  You  cannot  forget  how  he  left  his  village 
home,  never  to  return,  except  under  the  escort 


420        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

of  death.  In  words  of  farewell  to  neighbors 
thronging  about  him,  he  dedicated  himself  to  his 
country,  and  solemnly  invoked  the  aid  of  divine 
Providence. 

"  '  I  know  not,'  he  said, '  how  soon  I  shall  see 
you  again/  and  then,  with  prophetic  voice,  an- 
nounced that  a  duty  devolved  upon  him  greater 
than  that  which  has  devolved  upon  any  other 
man  since  the  days  of  Washington,  and  asked 
his  friends  to  pray  that  he  might  receive  that 
divine  assistance  without  which  he  could  not 
succeed,  but  with  which  success  was  certain. 

"  To  power  and  fame  others  have  gone  forth 
with  gladness  and  with  song;  he  went  forth 
prayerfully  as  to  sacrifice." 

Of  that  exquisite  speech  of  Mr.  Lincoln's,  at 
Gettysburg,  at  the  dedication  of  the  National 
Cemetery,  Mr.  Sumner  says,  "The  President 
spoke  very  briefly ;  but  his  few  words  will  live 
as  long  as  time.  Since  Simonides  wrote  the 
epitaph  for  those  who  died  at  Thermopylae,  noth- 
ing equal  has  ever  been  breathed  over  the  fallen 
dead. 

"  That  speech,  uttered  on  the  field  of  Gettys- 
burg, and  now  sanctified  by  the  martyrdom  of 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  421 

its  author,  is  a  monumental  act.  In  the  modesty 
of  his  nature,  he  said,  l  The  world  will  little  note, 
nor  long  remember,  what  we  say  here ;  but  it 
can  never  forget  what  they  did  here.7 

"  He  was  mistaken.  The  world  noted  at  once 
what  he  said,  and  will  never  cease  to  remember 
it.  The  battle  itself  was  less  important  than  the 
speech.  Ideas  are  more  than  battles. 

"  Among  events  assuring  to  him  the  general 
confidence  against  all  party  clamor  and  prejudice, 
this  speech  cannot  be  placed  too  high.  To  some 
who  doubted  his  earnestness,  it  was  touching 
proof  of  their  error.  Others  who  followed  with 
indifference  were  warmed  with  grateful  sympa- 
thy. Many  felt  its  exquisite  genius,  as  well  as 
lofty  character.  There  were  none  to  criticise." 

"  Mr.  Lincoln's  Inaugural  Address,"  said  Mr. 
Sumner,  "  which  signalized  his  entry  for  a  second 
time  upon  his  great  duties,  was  briefer  than  any 
in  our  history ;  but  it  has  already  gone  farther, 
and  it  will  live  longer,  than  any  other.  It  was  a 
continuation  of  the  Gettysburg  speech,  with  the 
same  sublimity  and  gentleness.  Its  concluding 
words  were  like  an  angelic  benediction." 

Mr.  Lincoln's  intellectual  character  was  thus 


422        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

portrayed :  "  He  was  original  in  mind  as  in  char- 
acter. His  style  was  his  own,  having  no  model, 
but  springing  directly  from  himself.  Failing 
often  in  correctness,  it  is  sometimes  unique  in 
beauty  and  sentiment. 

"  There  are  passages  that  will  live  always.  It 
is  no  exaggeration  to  say,  that  in  weight  and 
pith,  suffused  in  a  certain  poetical  color,  they 
call  to  mind  Bacon's  Assays.  There  also  was  a 
touching  reality  and  unconscious  power,  without 
form  or  apparent  effort.  Nothing  similar  can  be 
found  in  State  papers.  How  poor  are  kings' 
speeches  and  presidential  messages  by  the  side 
of  such  utterances,  fit  harbingers  of  the  sublime 
era  of  humanity  ! " 

How  entirely  in  keeping  with  Mr.  Sumner's 
character  was  his  preference  as  to  who  should 
serve  as  chaplain  on  the  occasion,  as  appears 
from  the  following  reply  to  Mr.  Gaffield,  of  the 
municipal  government :  — 

"WASHINGTON,  6th  May,  1865. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR  :  Do  as  you  please.  The  names 
you  mention  are  excellent. 

"  If  I  could  choose  one,  it  would  be  Rev.  Mr. 
Grimes,  the  colored  preacher.  It  was  for  his 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        423 

race  that  President  Lincoln  died.  If  Boston 
adopted  him  as  chaplain  on  the  day  when  we 
mourn,  it  would  be  a  truer  homage  to  our  de- 
parted President  than  music  or  speech.  I  can 
say  nothing  that  could  promise  to  be  so  effective 
on  earth  or  welcome  in  heaven.  Think  of  this, 
and  believe  me,  my  dear  sir, 

"Yery  faithfully  yours, 

"CHARLES  SUMNER." 

Mr.  Sumner's  request  was  granted,  and  the 
late  Rev.  Mr.  Grimes  served,  with  Rev.  Dr.  Webb 
and  Rev.  W.  H.  Cudworth,  as  chaplain  upon  the 
memorable  occasion. 


424        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

Annexation  of  Alaska. —  Impeachment  of  Presi- 
dent Johnson. —  The  Alabama  Question. — 
Johnson-  Clarendon  Treaty.  —  Mr.  Sumner's 
Views.  —  Project  for  Annexing  Dominica. — 
Mr.  Sumner's  Opposition.  —  Unfriendly  Rela- 
tions with  the  President.  —  Joins  the  Liberal 
Party.  —  His  Reasons.  —  His  Feelings.  —  Let- 
ter to  a  Friend.  —  Removal  from  Chairman- 
ship of  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations.  —  His 
Disinterestedness. 

THE  year  1867  added  more  than  five  hundred 
thousand  square  miles  to  our  national  territory, 
by  the  purchase  from  Russia,  for  seven  million 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  of  her  possessions 
in  North  America  —  the  region  that  now  bears 
the  name  Alaska. 

Mr.  Sumner  took  much  interest  in  this  pur- 
chase, and  made  an  elaborate  speech  in  the  Sen- 
ate in  favor  of  the  treaty  to  that  effect. 


LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNER.        425 

In  1868  Mr.  Stunner  was  much  engaged  in  the 
case  of  the  impeachment  of  President  Johnson. 
He  firmly  believed  that  the  chief  magistrate  was 
seeking  to  execute  a  plan  of  reconstruction  of 
the  revolted  States  which  would  restore  unre- 
pentant rebels  to  their  old  power,  and  revive 
slavery,  and  that  for  this  purpose  he  was  set- 
ting at  defiance  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the 
land,  and  usurping  power  which  belonged  to 
Congress. 

Let  us  hope  that  the  President  was  not  so 
great  an  offender  as  he  was  charged  with 
being. 

In  the  year  1869  Mr.  Sumner  took  decided 
ground  against  the  Johnson- Clarendon  treaty 
for  the  settlement  of  the  "  Alabama  question  " 
and  other  difficulties  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain,  growing  out  of  the  war  of 
the  rebellion,  especially  from  rebel  cruisers. 

But  it  does  not  appear  that  he  intended  to 
press  to  an  extremity  the  full  amount  of  claims. 
He  hoped  to  effect,  out  of  a  full  and  frank  exam- 
ination of  the  whole  case,  a  better  understand- 
ing between  the  two  countries,  and  great  reforms 
in  the  international  code.  He  most  of  all  sought 


426        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

security  against  future  causes  of  disagreement, 
and  firmer  guarantees  of  peace. 

In  a  speech  at  Worcester,  in  September,  he- 
said,  — 

"  Who  shall  fix  the  measure  of  this  great  ac- 
countability ?  For  the  present  it  is  enough  to 
expose  it.  I  make  no  demand  —  not  a  dollar  of 
money,  not  a  word  of  apology.  I  show  simply 
what  England  has  done  to  us.  It  will  be  for  her, 
on  a  careful  review  of  the  case,  to  determine 
what  reparation  to  offer.  It  will  be  for  the 
American  people,  on  a  careful  review  of  the 
case,  to  determine  what  reparation  to  require. 

"  On  this  head  I  content  myself  with  the  aspi- 
ration that  out  of  this  surpassing  wrong  and  the 
controversy  it  has  engendered,  may  come  some 
enduring  safeguard  for  the  future,  some  land- 
mark of  humanity.  Then  will  our  losses  end  in 
gain  for  all,  while  the  law  of  nations  is  elevated. 

"  But  I  have  little  hope  of  any  adequate  set- 
tlement until  our  case,  in  its  full  extent,  is  heard. 
In  all  controversies,  the  first  stage  of  justice  is 
to  understand  the  case ;  and,  sooner  or  later, 
England  must  understand  ours." 

In  1870  and   1871   Mr.  Sumner  engaged  in 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        427 

another  contest,  which  proved  to  be  one  of  great 
bitterness.  It  concerned  a  favorite  project  of 
President  Grant  —  the  annexation  of  a  part  of 
St.  Domingo  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  Sum- 
ner  took  decided  ground  in  opposition  to  the 
measure. 

Baez,  the  alleged  ruler  of  Dominica,  with 
whom  negotiations  for  its  purchase  had  been 
carried  on,  Mr.  Sumner  regarded  as  an  unprin- 
cipled usurper,  who  was  attempting  to  sell  his 
country  for  gold,  "  in  violation  of  its  constitu- 
tion." The  relations  between  the  two  govern- 
ments of  Hayti  and  Dominica  were  of  so  dis- 
turbed a  character,  that  Mr.  Sumner  deemed  it 
especially  censurable  in  our  government  to  pur. 
sue  a  course  of  "  menace  "  for  the  acquisition  of 
a  part  of  the  island,  to  the  offence  and  humiliation 
of  the  Haytien  Republic. 

Such  was  Mr.  Sumner's  view  of  the  matter,  the 
correctness  of  which  recent  events  have  most 
abundantly  vindicated.  Honestly  entertaining 
it,  he  could  do  nothing  less  than  vigorously  op- 
pose the  presidential  scheme.  He  did  so  with 
his  usual  thoroughness,  and  with  that  force  of 
language  of  which  he  was  master"  Of  course 


428        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

there  was  a  tempest,  and  the  relations  between 
the  Senator  and  the  President  were  far  from 
pleasant. 

Every  day  the  clouds  gathered  blackness,  until 
they  found  vent  in  a  drenching  rain  of  denuncia- 
tion, President  Grant  being  arraigned  before  the 
bar  of  the  country  in  the  famous  .  speech,  "  Re- 
publicanism versus  Grantism  :  Reform  and  Purity 
in  Government,"  delivered  in  the  Senate,  May 
31,  1872.  In  this  speech  Mr.  Sumner  renewed 
his  attack  upon  the  presidential  plan  for  annexing 
Dominica,  and  freely  commented  upon  various 
points  of  the  administrative  policy. 

In  all  this  he  declared  that  he  was  not  warring 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  simply  wanted 
reform,  in  the  direction  of  honesty  and  justice. 
Of  the  party  he  said,  "  I  stood  by  its  cradle ; 
let  me  not  follow  its  hearse." 

The  party,  however,  disregarded  Mr.  Sumner's 
appeals,  and  renominated  President  Grant. 

Mr,  Sumner,  finding  his  efforts  fruitless  within 
the  old  organization,  joined  in  a  separate  move- 
ment, which  aimed  at  the  election  of  Horace 
Greeley,  professedly  a  Reform  candidate. 

How  far  he  was   mistaken   in  his  allegations 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.       429 

against  the  administration,  or  how  far  time  has 
proved  their  correctness,  it  is  not  the  province 
of  this  volume  to  inquire. 

But  we  cannot  believe  that  the  man  who  had 
heretofore  labored  with  singular  disinterested- 
ness for  lofty  ends,  had  now,  at  last,  descended  to 
the  mean  gratification  of  personal  spite,  willing 
to  rend  the  party  which  had  cherished  him,  and 
which  had  given  freedom  to  the  whole  country. 
Concede  that  he  erred  in  judgment;  still  his 
high  purpose  was  to  serve  his  country  in  what 
seemed  to  him  the  only  practicable  way  that  was 
left  him. 

It  was  said  that  in  siding  with  the  Liberal 
party,  he  showed  too  much  sympathy  with  the 
South.  In  reply,  he  appealed  to  his  course  from 
the  first,  through  the  whole  contest  against  sla- 
very, in  proof  that  his  eye  had  ever  been  upon 
peace. . 

"  Such,"  he  said,  "  is  the  simple  and  harmoni- 
ous record,  showing  how,  from  the  beginning,  I 
was  devoted  to  peace ;  how  constantly  I  longed 
for  reconciliation ;  how,  with  every  measure  of 
equal  rights,  this  longing  found  utterance  ;  how 
it  became  an  essential  part  of  my  life ;  how  I 


430  LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

discarded  all  idea  of  vengeance  and  punishment ; 
how  reconstruction  was.  to  my  mind,  a  transition 
period ;  and  how  earnestly  I  looked  forward  to 
the  day  when,  after  the  recognition  of  equal 
rights,  the  people  should  again  be  one,  in  reality 
as  in  name.  If  there  are  any  who  ever  main- 
tained a  policy  .of  hate,  I  never  was  so  minded  ; 
and  now,  in  protesting  against  any  such  policy, 
I  act  only  in  obedience  to  the  irresistible  prompt- 
ings of  my  soul." 

In  these  contests  for  Truth  and  Right,  as  he 
understood  them,  he  suffered  the  keenest  sorrow. 
Writing  to  a  friend  about  this  time,  he  unbo- 
somed himself  with  unaccustomed  fullness  :  — 

"  I  do  not  deserve  the  praise  of  my  friends, 
nor  do  I  deserve  the  censure  so  freely  lavished 
by  others.  In  what  I  have  done  I  have  acted 
always  under  irresistible  promptings,  which  I 
could  not  disobey,  being  the  voice  of  conscience 
within  —  thinking  little,  asking  never,  how  it 
might  affect  me  personally.  ...  I  am  no  stranger 
to  sorrow.  But  is  not  this  the  lot  of  life  ?  Some- 
times I  feel  that  I  have  had  more  than  my  share. 
There  have  been  fountains  of  tears  for  me  that 
few  know  of  and  the  world  cannot  divine,  Be- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        431 

sides  these,  I  have  felt  keenly  the  trials  of  my 
position,  and  the  perils  of  the  truth  which  I  love. 
Never  have  I  seen  my  way  more  clearly  than  in 
these  late  conflicts,  which  have  disturbed  some 
of  my  associates,  and  never  was  my  course  more 
simple  or  conscientious.  To  suppose  that  I  am 
under  the  influence  of  personal  motives,  whether 
of  ambition  or  anger,  on  a  great  question  of  na- 
tional and  international  duty,  is  an  absurdity  which 
can  come  from  those  only  who  find  my  motives 
in  their  own.'7 

Mr.  Sumner's  removal  from  the  chairmanship 
of  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations,  which  he 
had  held  and  honored  since  1861,  was  to  him  a 
great  source  of  pain.  This  displacement  was 
occasioned  by  his  altered  relations  to  the  Presi- 
dent, which,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  rendered  a 
change  necessary  for  the  public  interest.  But 
he  felt  it  keenly,  not  so  much  as  involving  the 
loss  of  a  distinguished  place,  "as  indicating,  in  his 
view,  a  rude  change  of  feelings  towards  him  on 
the  part  of  friends  with  whom  he  had  long 
labored  on  terms  of  mutual  esteem  and  affection, 
and  as  taking  him  from  a  position  where  he  felt 
entirely  at  home,  and  where  he  had  so  long 


432        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

been  trusted  with  questions  of  the  highest  con- 
cern to  the  country. 

That  Mr.  Sumner's  views  about  the  St.  Do- 
mingo affair  were  unchanged  to  the  very  last, 
is  shown  by  a  letter  written  to  a  friend,  three 
days  before  his  death,  and  received  after  that 
event:  — 

"  SENATE  CHAMBER,  9th  March,  '74. 

"  MY   DEAR    :     I    am    against    capital 

punishment,  but  if  ever  a  man  deserved  a  halter 
it  is  Baez,  who  proposes  to  visit  Boston. 

"  I  know  his  history  intimately,  and  he  is  a 
usurper,  whose  hands  have  been  red  with  inno- 
cent blood,  and  who  had  the  terrible  audacity  to 
conceive  the  idea  of  keeping  an  American  citizen 
in  prison  to  prevent  his  return  to  New  York, 
where  it  was  feared  he  would  write  against  the 
treaty ;  and  this  crime  he  actually  perpetrated ! 

"  If  he  goes  to  Boston,  he  ought  to  be  driven 
out  by  an  indignant,  public  sentiment. 
"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  CHARLES  SUMNER." 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE.        433 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Battle  Flags  and  Army  Register.  —  Proposition  to 
erase  Names  of  Battles.  —  First  Resolution.  — 
General  Scott.  —  Picture  for  the  Capitol.  — 
Second  Resolution.  —  Censured  by  the  Legisla- 
ture of  Massachusetts.  —  Mr.  Sumners  Feel- 
ings. —  Letters.  —  Efforts  for  rescinding  the 
Vote  of  'Censure.  —  John  G.  Whittier.— The 
Resolution  rescinded.  —  Mr.  Sumner's  Views. 
—  Broad  Patriotism.  —  Opinion  of  Carl 
Schurz. 

PERHAPS  none  of  Mr.  Sumner's  acts  has  been 
more  entirely  misunderstood,  and  at  last  more 
thoroughly  vindicated,  than  his  attempt  to  erase 
the  names  of  battles  won  during  the  war  of  the 
rebellion,  from  the  regimental  colors  of  the  army 
and  from  the  army  register. 

This  subject  was  first  introduced  into  Con- 
gress by  Mr.  Sumner,  May  8,  1862,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  despatch  from  General  McClellan,  in 
which  that  officer  inquired  whether,  like  other 
28 


434  LIFE   OF  CHAELES  SUMNER. 

generals,  he  should  direct  the  names  of  battles 
to  be  placed  on  the  colors  of  regiments.  Upon 
this,  Mr.  Sumner  moved  the  following  reso- 
lution :  — 

"  Resolved,  That,  in  the  efforts  now  making  for 
the  restoration  of  the  Union,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  peace  throughout  the  country,  it  is  inex- 
pedient that  the  names  of  victories  obtained  over 
our  fellow- citizens  should  be  placed  on  the  regi- 
mental colors  of  the  United  States." 

The  resolution  was  not  received  with  favor, 
and  no  action  was  taken  upon  it.  General  Scott, 
however,  said  of  the  resolution,  "  This  was  noble, 
and  from  the  right  quarter." 

It  may  seem  strange  that  a  proposition  which, 
when  renewed  ten  years  later,  excited  intense 
feeling  against  its  author,  should  at  this  time,  in 
the  very  midst  of  the  war,  have  attracted  scarce- 
ly any  notice,  so  that  Mr.  Sumner  was  re-elected 
by  an  almost  unanimous  vote,  nine  months  after 
he  had  introduced  it.  But  at  the  latter  period 
there  were  immediate  causes  of  hostility  to  Mr. 
Sumner  ;  and  so  his  action  with  reference  to  the 
national  flags  was  seized  upon  as  a  means  of  still 
further  prejudicing  the  public  mind  against  him. 


LIFE   OF  CHARLES   SUMNER.  435 

On  February  27,  1865,  two  years  after  his  re- 
election without  any  censure,  there  being  a  reso- 
lution before  the  Senate  authorizing  a  contract 
with  W.  H.  Powell  for  a  picture  at  the  Capitol, 
Mr.  Sumner  proposed  an  amendment :  — 

"  Provided,  That  in  the  National  Capitol,  dedi- 
cated to  the  National  Union,  there  shall  be  no 
picture  of  a  victory  in  battle  with  our  fellow- 
citizens." 

"In  connection  with  this,  Mr.  Sumner  said,  — 

"Are  you  sure  that  the  subject  selected  at 
the  present  time  would  be  such  as  a  matu- 
rer  and  more  chastened  taste  could  approve? 
This  is  a  period  of  war.  We  are  all  under  its 
influence.  But  I  doubt  if  it  be  desirable  to  keep 
before  us  any  picture  of  war,  especially  of  a  war 
with  fellow-citizens.  There  are  moral  triumphs 
to  which  art  may  better  lend  its  charms.  I  need 
only  refer  to  the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation, 
which  belongs  to  the  great  events  of  history." 

The  amendment  was  opposed  and  rejected ; 
but  still  we  hear  no  note  of  rebuke  from  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

Again,  December  2,  1872,  Mr.  Sumner  brought 
the  subject  before  the  Senate,  without  a  thought, 
probably,  of  rousing  a  tempest  of  denunciation 


436  LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

against  himself  for  what  he  had  done  twice  be- 
fore unrebuked :  — 

"  Whereas,  The  national  unity  and  good-will 
among  fellow -citizens  can  be  assured  only  through 
oblivion  of  past  differences,  and  it  is  contrary  to 
the  usage  of  civilized  nations  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  civil  war  :  Therefore, 

"  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives of  the  United  States  of  America,  in 
Congress  assembled,  That  the  names  of  battles 
with  fellow-citizens  shall  not  be  continued  in 
the  army  register,  or  placed  on  the  regimental 
colors  of  the  United  States." 

At  once,  as  though  guilty  of  some  recent 
offence,  there  arose  a  cry  against  the  senator, 
which  found  official  expression  in  the  passage  of 
a  resolution  of  censure,  December  18,  by  the 
legislature  of  Massachusetts,  sixteen  days  after 
the  offence  had  been  committed. 

"  Resolved  by  the  Senate,  &c.,  That,  whereas  a 
bill  has  been  introduced  into  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  by  a  senator  from  Massachusetts, 
providing  '  that  the  names  of  battles  with  fellow- 
citizens  shall  not  be  continued  in  the  army  regis- 
ter, or  placed  on  regimental  colors  of  the  United 
States ; '  and 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        437 

"  Whereas,  The  passage  of  such  a  bill  would 
be  an  insult  to  the  loyal  soldiery  of  the  nation, 
and  depreciate  their  grand  achievements  in  the 
late  rebellion ; 

"  Therefore,  resolved,  That  such  legislation 
meets  the  unqualified  condemnation  of  the  peo- 
ple of  this  Commonwealth." 

This  action  was  hasty  and  ill-considered.  It 
was  done  at  a  special  session  called  to  consider 
measures  of  relief  for  the  city  of  Boston  under 
the  losses  sustained  by  the  great  fire.  It  did 
not  represent  Massachusetts. 

The  injustice  of  this  act  was  keenly  felt  by 
Mr.  Sumner,  and  it  threw  a  gloom  over  the  last 
years  of  his  life.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he 
was  cast  off  by  the  State  which  he  loved  so 
well,  whose  honor  he  -had  ever  sought  to  up- 
hold, and  which  he  had  thought  held  him  in 
true  esteem.  It  was  not  enough  that  he  was 
told  that  the  act  was  a  hasty  one  —  that  it 
was  not  the  real  act  of  Massachusetts.  There 
stood  the  censure  upon  her  records  !  He  was 
deeply  touched  by  assurances  given  him  that 
it  would  be  annulled.  He  almost  died  with- 
out the  sight. 

To  an  intimate  friend,  who  had  assured  him 


438        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

that  the  censure  would  soon  be  removed,  he 
wrote,  February  23,  1873,- 

"  MY  DEAR  :      Your    letter    surprises 

ine.  I  never  doubted  that,  sooner  or  later,  jus- 
tice would  be  done  me  ;  but  I  thought  it  would 
be  later.  Your  own  action  is  another  proof 
of  that  unbroken  friendship  which  has  so  long 
subsisted  between  us.  Thanks  !  many  thanks  ! 
I  send  you  my  bill  introduced  by  two  allegations 
of  fact  which  nobody  can  dispute. 

"  You  will  find  in  vol.  vi.,  p.  499,  of  what 
booksellers  call  <  Works  of  C.  S.'  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  the  official  resolution,  as  long  ago 
as  May  8,  1852.  Massachusetts  did  not  con- 
demn me  then,  but  soon  thereafter  re-elected 
me.  General  Scott,  once  commander-in- chief 
of  our  army,  and  perhaps  as  well  informed  in 
history  as  any  army  officer,  thanked  me  (see 
vol.  i.,  pp.  155-190  of  his  autobiography),  as  also 
did  General  Robert  Anderson  of  Fort  Sumter. 

"  Thanks  to  Mrs. ,  also,  and  believe  me, 

dear , 

"  Ever  sincerely  yours, 

"  CHARLES  SUMNER." 

To  the  same  friend  he  wrote,  March  11,  — 

"Thanks    again,    dear  .      Never    was 

I  more  sure  of  any  proposition  than  that  for 
which  I  am  assailed.  When  well  enough,  I  will 


&     <4***t*G. 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  439 

place  it  beyond  all  question,  —  showing  reason, 
history,  and  every  civilized  nation  for  it.  The 
Emperor  of  Germany  has  just  adopted  it." 

To  another  personal  friend  he  wrote,  March 
20,- 

"  If  persons  would  only  consider  candidly  my 
original  convictions  on  this  question,  they  would 
see  how  natural  and  inevitable  has  been  my 
conduct.  As  if  in  such  a  matter  I  could  have 
'  hostility '  or  '  spite  '  to  any  body  !  I  am  a 
public  servant,  and  never  was  I  moved  by  a 
purer  sense  of  duty  than  -in  this  bill,  all  of 
which  will  be  seen  at  last.  Meanwhile  men 
will  flounder  in  misconception  and  misrepre- 
sentation, to  be  regretted  in  the  day  of  light." 

John  G.  Whittier  was  foremost  among  those 
who  were  deeply  grieved  by  the  vote  of  cen- 
sure. By  his  pen  and  in  conversation,  his  noble 
heart  appealed  to  the  sense  of  justice  and  mag- 
nanimity of  the  members  of  the  legislature,  to 
rectify  the  grievous  wrong  done  to  the  high- 
minded  and  patriotic  son  of  Massachusetts  by 
hasty  action  taken  in  a  moment  of  excitement. 

Early  in  1874,  soon  after  the  opening  of  the  ses- 
sion, numerous  petitions,  from  John  G.  Whittier, 
Vice-President  Wilson,  Henry  L.  Dawes,  Ex- 


440        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Governors  Emory  Washburn  and  William  Clailin, 
Henry  L.  Pierce,  and  very  many  other  citizens  of 
the  highest  standing,  representing  the  intelligence 
and  honorable  feelings  of  the  Commonwealth,  were 
presented  to  the  Senate.  These  were  at  once 
referred  to  the  Committee  on  Federal  Relations, 
who,  January  29,  reported,  that,  "  finding  an  un- 
merited censure  had  been  inflicted  upon  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  State  in  the  Senate  of  the  Union," 
they  submitted  the  following  resolution  :  — 

"  liesolved,  That  the  resolution  passed  on  the 
eighteenth  day  of  December,  eighteen  hundred 
and  seventy-two,  at  the  extra  session  of  the  legis- 
lature of  that  year,  relating  to  a  bill  introduced 
in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  concerning 
the  army  register  and  regimental  colors  of  the 
United  States,  be  and  hereby  is  rescinded  and 
annulled" 

This  resolution  was  carried,  and  being  in- 
trusted to  a  special  messenger,  Joshua  B.  Smith, 
of  the  House,  was  borne  to  Mr.  Sumner.  It 
reached  him  just  before  his  death.  Who  is  not 
rejoiced  to  know  that  it  greatly  gladdened  a 
heart  oppressed  with  heavy  sorrow  ?  After  all, 
the  "  dear  old  Commonwealth ?J  had  done  him 
justice.  The  heart  of  Massachusetts  and  the 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        441 

heart  of  her  great  son  once  again  beat  in  perfect 
unison. 

Whatever  opinion  may  be  held  as  to  the  ex- 
pediency of  Mr.  Sumner's  proposition,  this  is 
certain —  that  it  was  in  perfect  consistency  with 
principles  declared  by  him  as  early  as  1847, 
twenty  years  before  his  first  resolution.  In  an 
oration  before  the  literary  societies  of  Amherst 
College,  August  11  of  that  year,  speaking  of  civil 
wars,  he  said,  — 

"  Even  if  countenanced  by  justice  or  dire  ne- 
cessity, they  were  none  the  less  mournful.  No 
success  over  brethren  of  the  same  country  could  be 
the  foundation  of  honor.  And  so  firmly  was 
this  principle  embodied  in  the  very  customs 
and  institutions  of  Rome,  that  no  thanksgiving 
or  religious  ceremony  was  allowed  by  the  Senate 
in  commemoration  of  such  success  ;  nor  was  the 
triumph  permitted  to  the  conquering  chief  whose 
hands  were  red  with  the  blood  of  fellow- citizens. 
Caesar  forbore  even  to  send  a  herald  of  his  un- 
happy victories,  and  looked  upon  them  with 
shame.  .  .  .  [The  Christian]  would  ...  pray 
that  the  recording  angel  would  blot  with  tears 
all  recollections  of  the  fraternal  strife  in  which 
he  was  sorrowfully  engaged." 

In  a  learned  note  appended  to  the  address,  Mr. 


442        LIF0  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

Sumner  gave  many  historical  illustrations  of  his 
position.  He  quoted  from  Dion  Cassius,  that 
Pompey,  after  his  success  over  Caesar  at  Dyr- 
rachium,  "  did  not  speak  of  it  boastfully,  nor  did 
he  wreathe  his  fasces  with  laurel,  feeling  a  re- 
pugnance to  doing  anything  of  this  sort  on  ac- 
count of  a  victory  over  citizens.'7 

Mr.  Sumner  knew  that  it  was  the  uniform  prac- 
tice of  all  civilized,  Christian  nations  to  remove 
all  national  memorials  of  civil  war.  To  his  gen- 
erous and  comprehensive  mind,  informed  as  to 
universal  custom  elsewhere,  it  seemed  both  just 
and  magnanimous  to  efface  from  the  national,  the 
common  flag,  all  traces  of  our  fraternal  strife.  If 
North  and  South  were  ever  to  be  united,  it  must 
be  by  meeting  on  common  ground,  by  oblivion 
of  past  differences,  and  by  putting  away  all  me- 
morials of  former  hate. 

Mr.  Sumner  was  said  to  be  wanting  in  patriot- 
ism ;  but  his  was  the  highest,  broadest  patriotism, 
embracing  the  whole  country,  and  not  a  moiety. 
It  was  national,  not-  sectional.  It  was  based  on 
the  principles  of  Christianity.  Surely  it  were 
better  that  the  different  parts  of  the  country 
should  be  of  one  heart,  than  that  sectional  pride 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  BUMNER.        443 
I 

should  be  perpetually  gratified.  Here,  in  his  view, 
was  an  opportunity  for  the  noblest  self-sacrifice, 
to  gain  a  great  national  advantage. 

"  I  am  for  peace,77  said  he,  on  another  occasion, 
"  in  reality  as  in  name.  From  the  bottom  of  my 
heart  I  am  for  peace,  and  I  welcome  all  that 
makes  for  peace.  With  deep-felt  satisfaction  I 
remember  that  no  citizen  who  drew  his  sword 
has  suffered  by  the  hand  of  the  executioner." 

Urging  the  "  enduring  fellowship  of  a  common 
citizenship,7'  he  said,  "  To  this  end  there  must 
be  reconciliation ;  nor  can  I  withhold  my  hand. 
Freely  I  accept  the  hand  that  is  offered,  and 
reach  forth  my  own  in  friendly  grasp.  I  am 
against  the  policy  of  hate ;  I  am  against  fanning 
ancient  flames  into  continued  life ;  I  am  against 
raking  in  the  ashes  of  the  past  for  coals  of  fire 
yet  burning.  Pile  up  the  ashes  ;  extinguish  the 
flames ;  abolish  the  hate  —  such  is  my  desire.77 

It  was  such  noble  sentiments  as  these  that 
dictated  Mr.  Sumner7s  policy.  Was  he  the  man 
to  be  pronounced  by  a  legislative  body  worthy 
of  "  unqualified  condemnation,77  as  offering  "  an 
insult  to  the  loyal  soldiery  of  the  nation  ?  "  This 
was  a  blow  aimed  at  as  pure  a  patriot  as  Amer 


444        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

ica  was  ever  blessed  with.  Who  is  not  thankful 
that  a  stigma  which  could  not  attach  to  him  was 
removed  from  "Massachusetts  ? 

The  position  of  Mr.  Sunnier  was  well  expressed 
by  a  fellow-senator,  Carl  Schurz,  in  his  noble 
eulogy  upon  Mr.  Sumner,  in  Boston,  April  29:  — 

"  Should  the  son  of  South  Carolina,  when  at 
some  future  day  defending  the  republic  against 
some  foreign  foe,  be  reminded  by  an  inscription 
on  the  colors  floating  over  him,  that  under  this 
flag  the  gun  was  fired  that  killed  his  father  at 
Gettysburg  ?  Should  this  great  and  enlightened 
republic,  proud  of  standing  in  the  front  of  human 
progress,  be  less  wise,  less  large-hearted,  than 
the  ancients  were  two  thousand  years  ago,  and 
the  kingly  governments  of  Europe  are  to-day  ? 
Let  the  battle-flags  of  the  brave  volunteers, 
which  they  brought  home  from  the  war  with  the 
glorious  record  of  their  victories,  be  preserved 
intact  as  a  proud  ornament  of  our  State  Houses 
and  armories.  But  let  the  colors  of  the  army, 
under  which  the  sons  of  all  the  States  are  to  meet 
and  mingle  in  common  patriotism,  speak  of  noth- 
ing but  union,  —  not  a  union  of  conquerors  and 
conquered,  but  a  union  which  is  the  mother  of 
all,  equally  tender  to  all,  knowing  of  nothing  but 
equality,  peace,  and  -love  among  her  children. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        445 

Do  you  want  shining  mementos  of  your  vic- 
tories ?  They  are  written  upon  the  dusky  brow 
of  every  freeman  who  was-  once  a  slave ;  they 
are  written  on  the  gate-posts  of  a  restored 
Union;  and  the  most  shining  of  all  will  be 
written  on  the  faces  of  a  contented  people,  re- 
united in  common  national  pride." 

Mr.  Sumner's  patriotic  act  is  bearing  the  fruit 
of  peace.  The  South  is  touched  by  his  gener- 
ous purpose.  "  Let  the  grave,"  says  the  New 
Orleans  Picayune,  "  cover  all  that  was  inimical 
to  Southern  ideas  and  sentiments  in  the  deceased 
senator,  and  let  us  only  remember  that  he  would 
have  put  away  from  the  federal  archives  all 
show  and  sign  of  the  triumph  of  countrymen  over 
countrymen.' 

Said  Mr.  Lamar,  of  Mississippi,  in  the  House 
of  Eepresentatives,  "  It  was  certainly  a  gracious 
act  towards  the  South  ...  to  propose  to  erase 
from  the  banners  of  the  national  army  the 
mementos  of  the  bloody  internecine  struggle, 
which  might  be  regarded  as  assailing  the  pride 
or  wounding  the  sensibilities  of  the  Southern 
people.  That  proposal  will  never  be  forgotten 
by  the  people  so  long  as  the  name  of  Charles 
Sumner  lives  in  the  memory  of  man." 


446        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 


CHAPTER    XXXIT. 

Religious  Views  of  Mr.  Sumner.  —  Dr.  Channing. 

—  Mr.  Sumner1  s  Faiih  in  God.  —  Seeking  Help 
from  the  Highest  Source  —  Gratitude  to  God.  — 
Divine  Providence.  —  Justice  of  God.  —  Regard 
for  the  Scriptures.  —  Belief  in  Christianity.  — 
The  Christian  Standard. —  The  Christian  Hero. 

—  Familiarity  with  the   Bible.  —  Advice  to   a, 
Young    Clergyman.  —  TJie    Good  Shepherd.  — 
Mr.  Sumner's   Character.  —  The  Chief-Justice- 
ship. —  Mr.  Sumner '«  Disinterestedness.  —  His 
Writings. 

IN  his  youth,  and  for  some  time  after  he  en- 
tered upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  Mr. 
Sumner  was  a  regular  attendant  at  King's  Chapel. 
During  this  period,  Rev.  Dr.  F.  W.  P.  Green- 
wood and  Rev.  Dr.  Ephraim  Peabody  were  the 
pastors,  the  latter  beginning  his  pastorate  in 
1846.  They  were  men  of  fine  gifts  and  eminent 
worth. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        447 

Mr.  Sumner's  character  was  formed  under  the 
decided  influence  of  religious  principles.  All 
his  writings,  as  well  as  his  life,  show  that  he 
had  a  reverent  faith  in  God.  Indeed,  the  con- 
stant recognition  of  a  Supreme  Being  of  infinite 
justice,  truth,  and  love,  is  a  conspicuous  feature 
of  his  speeches. 

"  True  greatness,"  he  says  in  one  place,  "  con- 
sists in  imitating,  as  nearly  as  possible,  the 
perfections  of  an  Infinite  Creator — above  all 
in  inculcating  those  highest  perfections,  Justice 
and  Love." 

The  references  to  God,  scattered  through  his 
political  speeches,  as  well  as  his  literary  and 
other  addresses,  carry  with  them  every  appear- 
ance of  sincerity  and  profound  conviction. 

This  is  corroborated  by  some  remarks  by  Rev. 
E.  E.  Hale,  in  an  address  at  Faneuil  Hall :  "  Mr. 
Sumner  said  to  a  young  man,  who  repeated  it  to 
me,  that,  when  there  was  any  new  subject  of  de- 
bate ;  when  there  was  any  new  course  to  be 
adopted;  when  there  was  any  policy  which 
seemed  strange  or  difficult ;  when  there  were  any 
of  those  clouds  of  which  we  have  been  speaking  ; 
when  that  track  was  to  be  found  and  was  hard  to 


448        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

find  ;  he  never  took  counsel  with  men,  but  sepa- 
rated himself  from  men,  and  went  alone  and  con- 
sulted the  Highest  Authority  j  and  when  he 
was  assured  by  the  Highest  Authority,  then  he 
always  went  forward,  and  asked  no  question 
more." 

How  reverent  his  mention  of  God's  care  over 
him,  in  the  opening  words  of  his  speech  on  the 
Barbarism  of  Slavery  ! 

How  grand  and  impressive  that  opening  para- 
graph in  the  eulogy  on  President  Lincoln,  in 
which  he  speaks  of  divine  Providence  ! 

He  speaks  of  the  injustice  of  ending  the  war 
•against  the  rebellion,  without  also  putting  an  end 
to  slavery,  as  "  challenging  the  judgments  of  a 
righteous  God."  "  If,"  said  he,  "  the  instincts  of 
patriotism  did  not  prompt  this  support  (emanci- 
pation), I  should  find  a  suflficient  motive  in  that 
duty  which  we  all  owe  to  the  Supreme  Ruler, 
God  Almighty,  whose  visitations  upon  our  country 
are  now  so  fearful." 

Mr.  Sumner  also  made  frequent  references  to 
the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  always  in  the  spirit  of  reverence.  He 
heard  God  speaking  in  them,  and  summoning  us 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEK.        449 

to  obedience.  "  Amidst  the  thunders  of  Sinai 
God  declared,  '  Thou  shalt  not  kill ; '  and  the 
voice  of  these  thunders,  with  this  commandment, 
is  prolonged  in  our  own  day  in  the  echoes  of 
Christian  churches." 

Of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Act  he  says,  "  With 
modesty,  and  yet  with  firmness,  let  me  add,  it 
offends  against  the  divine  law." 

Mr.  Sumner  was  a  believer  in  Christianity. 
He  speaks  of  it  in  one  place  as  "  our  faith."  In 
his  view,  Christianity  was  the  "  true  "  religion, 
in  contrast  with  heathen  religions,  which  he  calls 
"false." 

Conversing  at  one  time  with  Rev.  Dr.  Neale, 
who  often  met  him  in  educational  meetings,  as 
well  as  elsewhere,  Mr.  Sumner,  in  answer  to  a 
question  designed  to  draw  out  his  religious  views, 
declared  his  full  belief  in  the  Christian  religion. 
"  My  way  of  looking  at  it,"  he  said,  "  may  differ 
somewhat  from  yours,  but  it  is  the  same  religion. 
The  sun  shines  in  a  different  way  upon  different 
persons,  his  rays  striking  some  vertically,  and 
others  obliquely,  according  to  their  respective 
localities;  but  it  is  the  same  glorious  sun.  So 
with  Christianity  —  it  comes  to  me  in  a  way 
29 


450       LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

somewhat  peculiar,  but  it  is  the  same  glorious 
faith." 

Mr.  Sunnier  regarded  Christianity  as  present- 
ing the  highest,  even  a  perfect,  standard  of  right. 
He  constantly  speaks  of  "  Christian  duty  "  as  pre- 
senting duty  in  its  purest  and  most  authoritative 
form.  When  discoursing  upon  arbitration  for  the 
settlement  of  difficulties  between  nations,  after 
other  reasons  in  its  favor,  he  adds,  "  Above  all,  it 
is  consistent  with  the  teachings  of  Christianity," 
and  implies  "  a  lofty  Christian  statesmanship." 

He  speaks  of  "  that  sublime  revelation  of 
Christianity,  the  brotherhood  of  man."  "  Are 
we  not  all,"  he  asks,  "  in  a  just  and  Christian 
sense,  brethren  of  one  household ? "  "To  the 
Christian,  every  fellow-man,  whether  remote  or 
near,  is  l  neighbor '  and  '  brother.' ' 

Speaking  of  slavery  as  a  barbarism,  and  not 
a  civilization,  he  says,  "  In  the  Christian  light  of 
the  nineteenth  century  there  can  be  but  one 
civilization."  Slavery  he  calls  "  an  infraction  of 
God's  great  laws  of  right  and  love,  and  of  the 
Christian  precept,  '  Whatever  ye  would  that  men 
should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them.' ' 

The  highest  commendation  he  gives  to  Wash- 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        451 

ington  Allston  is,  to  call  him  "  a  Christian 
artist." 

Thus,  evefy  private  and  public  act  and  institu- 
tion was  tested  by  the  Christian  standard. 

He  speaks  of  "  the  irresistible  might  of  Chris- 
tian institutions,"  and  of  the  encouragement  de- 
rived from  "  the  promises  of  Christianity." 
"  With  this  faith,  we  place  our  hands,  as  those  of 
little  children,  in  the  great  hand  of  God.  He  will 
guide  and  sustain  us  —  through  pains  and  perils 
it  may  be  —  in  the  path  of  progress." 

"  In  the  clear  eye  of  that  Christian  judgment 
which  must  yet  prevail,  vain  are  the  victories  of 
war."  "He  is  the  benefactor,  and  worthy  of 
honor,  who  carries  comfort  to  wretchedness, 
dries  the  tear  of  sorrow,  relieves  the  unfortu- 
nate, feeds  the  hungry,  clothes  the  naked,  does 
justice,  enlightens  the  ignorant,  unfastens  the 
fetters  of  the  slave,  and  finally,  by  virtuous  gen- 
ius in  art,  literature,  science,  enlivens  and  exalts 
the  hours  of  life,  or  by  generous  example,  in- 
spires a  love  for  God  and  man.  This  is  the 
Christian  hero."  "  Christianity  inculcates  pa- 
tience, forbearance,  forgiveness  of  evil,  even 
the  duty  of  benefiting  a  destroyer." 


452        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

In  one  place  he  declares  his  belief  in  the 
future  universal  prevalence  of  Christianity. 
"  Nor  do  we  doubt  that  Christianity,  will  yet  pre- 
vail over  the  whole  earth,  as  the  waters  cover 
the  sea." 

Mr.  Sumner  was  very  familiar  with  the  Scrip- 
tures. This  is  evident,  not  only  in  his  frequent 
and  most  apposite  quotations,  but  in  those  inci- 
dental allusions  and  in  that  happy  use  of  Scrip- 
ture phraseology  which  flavor  and  dignify  his 
writings. 

As  an  instance  of  this,  take  a  sentence  in  his 
address  to  the  governor  at  the  time  of  his  public 
reception  in  Boston,  in  1856,  where,  speaking  of 
his  efforts  to  regain  his  health,  he  said,  "  I  listened 
to  the  admonitions  of  medical  skill,  and  I  courted 
all  the  bracing  influences  of  Nature,  while  time 
passed  without  the  accustomed  healing  on  his 
wings." 

The  uniform  correctness  of  his  references  to 
the  Bible  forms  a  noteworthy  contrast  with  the 
sorry  work  which  politicians  are  apt  to  make  in 
their  awkward  attempts  at  Scripture  citation. 

The  Christian  spirit  that  animated  Mr.  Sumner 
appears  in  a  little  incident.  He  was  once  present 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEE.        453 

at  the  ordination  of  a  young  clergyman.  At  the 
close  of  the  services  he  went  up  to  him,  and  said, 
in  a  pleasant  tone,  "  He  prayeth  well  who  loveth 
well." 

A  few  weeks  before  Mr.  Sunnier 's  death,  a 
party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  Boston  visited 
his  house  at  Washington,  in  company  with  a  com- 
mon friend.  Mr.  Sumner  was  even  more  than 
usually  genial  and  animated,  and  took  great  pains 
to  point  out  and  explain  objects  of  interest  in  his 
apartments.  Among  other  things  to  which  he 
called  the  attention  of  his  guests,  was  a  small  and 
rude  terra  cotta  figure  of  the  Good  Shepherd, 
in  relief,  bearing  a  lamb,  the  lost  one,  now  recov- 
ered, upon  his  shoulders.  Mr.  Sumner  said  to. 
his  visitors  that  this  was  the  way  in  which  the 
shepherd  in  Eastern  countries  was  accustomed  to 
carry  home  his  sheep  when  infirm  or  disabled. 
He  repeated  the  passage  in  the  gospel  about  the 
lost  sheep,  and  the  owner  leaving  the  ninety  and 
nine  to  seek  that  one,  giving  a  touching  explana- 
tion of  it.  He  spoke  with  deep  feeling  of  Jesus 
as  the  Good  Shepherd,  and  of  his  great  compas- 
sion to  mankind.  The  company  were  much 
struck  with  the  earnestness  and  tenderness  of 


454        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

his  manner,  and  they  remember  the  scene  as  one 
of  uncommon  interest. 

Who  that  considers  the  character  of  his  life, 
his  ruling  purpose  to  do  good,  can  doubt  that  a 
spirit  was  breathed  into  him  from  above,  from  the 
Father  of  all  truth  and  goodness,  to  prepare  him 
for  the  great  work  of  mercy  which  he  was  a 
chief  instrument  in  accomplishing  ? 

He  had  faults  and  weaknesses,  but  they  were 
not  the  faults  and  weaknesses  of  an  ignoble 
and  selfish  character.  He  sometimes  showed 
hauteur  in  his  manner,  —  though  this  was  not  the 
habit  of  his  nature,  —  but  it  was  always  in  a  good 
cause.  It  largely  grew  out  of  his  profound  con- 
victions, his  intense  hatred  of  all  wrong,  indirect- 
ness, sham,  and  double-dealing.  These  things 
aroused  his  ire,  and  sometimes  made  him  pass 
over  the  bounds  of  a  proper  moderation.  But 
he  was  not  a  man  to  harbor  petty  grudges ;  he 
was  not  a  self-seeker ;  he  was  not  jealous  or  en- 
vious ;  he  never  sought  to  supplant  others  to  make 
a  place  for  himself.  Above  any  casual  infelicities 
of  temper  or  manner,  arising  in  part,  no  doubt, 
from  nervous  infirmity  brought  on  by  his  brave 
exposure  of  wrong,  shone  forth  his  genuine  love 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        455 

of  truth  and  justice,  his  indomitable  patriotism, 
his  sincere  purpose  to  benefit  his -race.  George 
William  Curtis  calls  him  "  conscience  incarnate 
in  politics." 

Mr.  Caleb  Lyon,  in  some  personal  reminiscences 
of  Mr.  Sumner's  life  in  Washington,  gives  one 
instance  of  his  remarkable  disinterestedness. 
"  Soon  after  Chief  Justice  Taney's  death,"  says 
the  account,  "he  showed  me  a  card  from  the 
President,  upon  which  was  written,  '  Hon. 
Charles  Sumner :  The  vacant  chief  justiceship  is 
placed  at  your  disposal.  A.  Lincoln.'  He  then 
said,  *  There  was  a  time  when  this  office  would 
have  been  the  realized  dream  of  my  youth  ;  but 
now  it  must  not,  cannot  be.  The  breach  between 
Mr.  Chase  and  the  President  is  growing  wider 
and  wider,  and  this  will  close  it.  No  personal 
sacrifice  is  too  great,  nor  can  anything  tempt  me 
to  desert  my  post.  The  Republican  party  must 
remain  intact  until  its  mission  is  fulfilled.' 

"  It  is  well  known  that  only  the  great  senator's 
persistency  accomplished  the  appointment  of  Mr. 
Chase,  after  a  tedious  delay  from  October  to  De- 
cember. Mr.  Chase  through  life  remained  un- 


456        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

conscious  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  offer  to  Mr.  Sumner, 
and  his  refusal." 

Persons  who  knew  Mr.  Sumner  intimately  in 
Washington  for  years  together,  bear  uniform 
testimony  to  his  great  kindliness  of  spirit  in 
private  life,  and  to  his  thoughtful  regard  for 
the  comfort  of  those  who  were  in  any  way 
dependent  on  him.  They  relate  how  patiently 
he  would  often  listen  to  a  long  story  of  trouble 
from  some  humble  unfortunate,  while  he  also 
well  knew  how  to  shake  off  mere  intruders  upon 
his  time. 


LIFE   OP   CHARLES  SUMNEE.  457 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

Mr.  Sumner's  Purity  of  Life.  —  Political  Integrity. 
—  Conversational  Peculiarities.  —  A  French 
Dinner. 

ME.  SUMNEE  we  have  seen  to  be  a  man  of 
the  purest  principles.  He  was,  also,  a  man 
of  unblemished  life.  Political  venom  never 
assailed  his  character. 

Profanity  —  that  vice  too  common  among  pub- 
lic men  —  was  always  repulsive  to  him,  as  also 
was  the  slightest  approach  to  vulgarity  or  coarse- 
ness in  conversation.  A  gentleman,  who  was 
one  of  his  warm  supporters  and  personal  friends, 
and  who  often  entertained  him  as  his  guest,  says 
that  he  has  met  him  in  all  places  where  gentle- 
men meet  without  restraint,  and  heard  him  con- 
verse on  all  topics  with  men  of  various  classes ; 
but  has  never  heard  him  tell  a  story  or  make 


458        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

an  allusion,  that  would  have  offended  the  ear  of 
the  most  dainty  lady. 

He  once  said  to  a  clergyman  of  this  city, 
speaking  of  his  somewhat  limited  means,  "I 
have  never  had  the  art  to  get  my  hand  into 
the  treasury." 

The  boldest  schemer  of  evil  never  dared 
to  approach  him  with  plans  for  robbing  the 
people ;  and  his  hand  remained  to  the  last  un- 
sullied by  the  touch  of  unholy  gain.  So  great 
was  the  gulf  between  him  and  the  men  who 
play  traitor  to  their  trusting  constituents,  that 
he  could  say  with  truth,  "People  talk  about 
the  corruption  at  Washington.  I  have  been 
here  ah1  these  years,  and  have  seen  nothing  of 
it."  He  had  not  seen  it,  -because  he  never 
looked  in  that  direction. 

He  never  pledged  an  offering  to  Freedom 
which  he  did  not  lay,  freely  and  without  re- 
serve, on  her  altar.  He  never  held  out  an 
unmanly  allurement  for  votes ;  never  spent  a 
dollar  in  the  effort  to  gain  an  election  j  never 
used  any  of  the  low  trickery  which  degrades 
alike  the  elections .  of  England  and  America. 
He  could  not  stoop  either  to  buy  from,  or  to 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        459 

cajole  a  vote  out  of,  any  man.  He  was  the 
same  dignified  gentleman  during  a  political 
campaign,  that  he  was  in  the  Senate  Chamber 
and  the  drawing-room. 

Mr.  Sumner  talked,  rather  than  conversed, 
when  in  company.  One  who  knew  him  well, 
and  was  frequently  in  his  society,  expresses  it 
thus :  "  He  either  led  the  conversation  or  re- 
mained silent." 

Mr.  Sumner  was  an  inimitable  story-teller. 
That  minuteness  of  detail  which  in  another 
would  have  amounted  to  tediousness,  only  kept 
up  the  interest  of  the  listener,  as  every  word 
gave  a  new  charm.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  give  any  adequate  illustration  of  this,  but 
to  convey  some  idea  of  the  way  in  which  he  re- 
lated scenes  and  events,  we  will  give,  as  nearly 
as  it  can  be  done  from  memory,  his  account  of 
a  dinner  to  which  he  was  invited  at  the  mansion 
of  one  of  the  most  noted  among  European  rulers, 
the  last  time  he  was  abroad. 

It  required  a  real  diplomatist  to  make  him- 
self agreeable  to  foreigners  at  that  time.  They 
were  hungry  to  hear  all  about  republics ;  but 
being,  as  he  felt  himself,  under  a  ban  which 


460        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

the  world  knew,  he  realized  the  great  impor- 
tance of  steering  clear  of  American  politics ;  as, 
should  "the  battle  flag  matter"  come  up,  he 
could  not  defend  himself  without  censuring 
"  dear  old  Massachusetts  "  —  and  that  he  would 
not  do. 

He  had  a  habit  of  constantly  throwing  the 
words  "  you  will  observe "  into  his  conversa- 
tion, particularly  when  describing  persons  he  had 
met,  or  scenes  through  which  he  had  passed. 

He  had  been  courteously  received  by  the 
gentleman  in  question,  and  was  now  invited 
to  a  dinner  at  his  elegant  mansion.  Having 
arrayed  himself  with  that  care  which  all  who 
knew  him  will  remember,  he  ordered  a  cab 
to  convey  him  thither ;  and  he  tells  the  story  of 
the  dinner  thus  :  — 

"When  I  left  my  hotel,  I  told  the  cabman 
I  wished  him  to  drive  me  to  the  residence 
of . 

"  l  Yes,  sir/  he  replied,  i  I  will  gladly  do  so  ; 
we  all  love  him.7 

"  After  a  short  drive,  we  turned  into  the  ele- 
gant grounds,  and  drove  up  the  avenue  which 
leads  to  the  mansion,  at  the  door  of  which  a 
servant  received  me. 


LIFE   OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.  461 

"  I  saw  no  one  in  the  halls  as  I  was  conducted 
up  stairs  to  my  room  by  the  man  who  carried  my 
bag  for  me.  Entering  the  apartment  assigned 
me,  —  a  most  luxurious  one,  —  I  found  an  open 
fire  glowing  in  the  grate,  a  table  fully  furnished 
with  writing  materials,  and  an  easy-chair  beside 
it  —  a  very  beautiful  welcome  for  a  stranger. 
The  servant  then  asked  for  my  key,  opened  my 
bag,  and  laid  out,  over  a  chair,  the  articles  I  had 
brought  to  complete  my  toilet,  and  then  retired, 
saying,  '  I  will  wait  at  your  door  until  you  are 
ready,  sir ;  when  you  call  me  I  will  conduct  you 
to  the  drawing-room.' 

"  This,  you  will  observe,  is  the  custom  in  such 
circles. 

"  When  I  was  ready,  I  went  to  my  door,  where 
I  found  the  man  awaiting  me.  I  descended  the 
stairway,  and  was  ushered  into  the  saloon,  where 
I  found  Madame and  her  guests,  —  the  cus- 
tom of  my  host  being,  you  will  observe,  not  to  ap- 
pear until  just  before  dinner  is  announced. 

"  The  house  was  gorgeous  and  elegant,  and  the 
company  very  distinguished-looking,  and  of  course 

most  richly  dressed.  Madame  ,  who  was  a 

large  and  rather  coarse-looking  person,  received 
me  with  courtesy,  and  introduced  me  to  the  com- 
pany. 

"  We  conversed  for  some  time  before  our  host 
joined  us ;  and  very  soon  after  he  did  so,  a  man- 


462        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

servant  threw  open  the  doors  which  led  to  the 
dining-room,  and  gravely  announced,  l  Dinner  is 
served.'  The  gentleman  of  the  mansion  then 
offered  his  arm  to  the  most  distinguished  lady  of 
the  party,  and  led  the  way  to  the  dining-room. 
But  the  custom,  you  will  observe,  is,  not  for  the 
lady  of  the  house  to  give  her  arm  to  the  gentle- 
man she  wishes  to  honor,  and  follow  her  husband, 
but  to  remain  with  him  behind,  till  she  sees  that 
all  the  ladies  are  provided  with  escorts,  and  have 
left  the  saloon,  when  she  and  her  escort  follow 
them,  and  take  their  places  at  table.  I  had  given 
my  arm  to  my  hostess,  taking  care,  you  will  ob- 
serve, that  it  should  not  be  in  a  way  which 
would  oblige  her  to  place  me  at  her  right  hand 
at  table  unless  she  desired  to  do  so.  This,  how- 
ever, she  did. 

"  The  table  and  its  appointments  were  elegant 
and  costly  beyond  .description,  all  the  service, 
even  to  the  plates,  being  either  of  solid  gold  or 
of  solid  silver.  The  style  of  serving  was  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  elegance  and  costliness  of  the 
arrangements  of  the  table. 

"I  was  still  careful,  as  you  will  observe,  to 
avoid  every  topic"  strictly  American,  les.tit  might 
lead  us  towards  politics.  Knowing,  as  I  did,  that 
my  host  was  a  great  connoisseur  in  art,  and  the 
owner  of  rare  collections,  and  remembering  that 
he  lost  many  beautiful  pictures  and  statues  in  the 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        463 

barbarism  of  the  revolution,  I  opened  this  sub- 
ject with  Madame .  But  on  art  in  general  I 

met  no  response.  I  then  said  to  her, 1 1  am  very 
glad,  madame,  to  hear  that  some  of  your  hus- 
band's rare  treasures,  which  he  lost  in  your 
troubles,  have  been  returned  to  him ; '  feeling 
sure  that  that  must  be  a  matter  of  interest.  She 
manifested  not  the  least  interest  in  the  matter, 
and  her  only  reply  was,  l  If  he  has  recovered 
any  of  them,  I  never  heard  of  it  before.7 

"  I  found  it  impossible  to  keep  up  any  conver- 
sation with  her. 

"  The  elegant  and  refined  tastes  of  the  gentle- 
man found,  you  will  observe,  no  sympathy  in  his 
wife.  She  is  very  rich,  but  not  a  woman  of  cul- 
ture or  polished  manners,  while  he  is  a  model  of 
an  elegant  and  polite  French  gentleman. 

"  At  one  time  during  dinner,  my  host  cast  an 
anxious  look  on  the  lady,  who,  perhaps,  to  his 
practised  eye,  looked  out  of  humor,  and  said  very 
kindly,  —  what  with  us  would  be  regarded  as  a 
breach  of  politeness,  — '  You  look  very  weary,  my 
dear  ; '  but  she  did  not  reply.  She  took  no  more 
notice  of  the  remark  than  if  she  had  been  deaf. 

"  On  returning  to  the  long  saloon,  the  hostess 
and  all  the  ladies  gathered  at  one  end  of  the 
room,  and  the  gentlemen  at  the  other.  The 
entertainment  then  partook  rather  of  the  form 
of  a  lecture  than  conversation.  The  host  stated 


464        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

his  views  on  points  which  were  then  occupy- 
ing the  puhlic  mind,  and  gave  his  reasons  for 
them,  discoursing  at  some  length,  to  the  great 
enjoyment  of  his  guests.  It  is  in  this  way  that 
he  prepares  the  speeches,  which  he  afterwards 
delivers. 

"  Having  finished  his  remarks,  my  host  turned 
to  me  and  asked, i  What,  sir,  is  the  opinion  of 
American  statesmen  in  regard  to  the  electoral 
college  system  ? ' 

"  That  was  a  question  I  had  no  delicacy  in  an- 
swering. 'They  regard  it  as  an  utter  failure, 
sir/  I  replied.  He  then  turned  to  a  gentleman 
near  him,  and  said,  '  Mr.  Secretary,  note  that 
statement  of  the  American  gentleman.'  " 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        465 


CHAPTER    XXXIY. 

Wide  General  Information.  —  Talk  at  a  Stock 
Club.  —  Talk  on  Laces.  —  Mr.  Sumner  and  his 
little  Namesake. — Interest  in  the  Work  of  others. 
—  Letter  of  Hon.  G.  W.  Warren. 

GREAT  men  are  too  often  wise  only  in  their 
own  sphere,  and  ignorant  of  all  beyond  it. 

Mr.  Sumner  was  remarkable  for  his  general 
information.  Nothing  escaped  his  eye,  and  no 
subject  was  too  great  or  too  small  for  his  inves- 
tigations. 

Being  once  on  a  visit  at  the  country  house  of 
a  friend,  when  a  "  stock  club "  was  to  meet 
there,  Mr.  Sumner  entered  heartily  into  the  mat- 
ter, and  expressed  pleasure  at  meeting  the  gen- 
tlemen. 

But  he  was  not  a  listener  only ;  he  surprised 
both  host  and  guests  by  his  familiarity  with  the 
subject,  and  by  finally  giving  what  amounted  to  a 
30 


466  LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNEB. 

dissertation  on  the  various  breeds  of  cows,  and 
the  varieties  of  cheese.  He  knew  all  about  the 
English  and  Scotch  cows,  and  dwelt  with  inter- 
est on  their  marked  peculiarities.  He  intro- 
duced to  their  notice  a  breed  of  Highland  cows, 
of  which  none  of  the  stock  club  had  ever  heard 
before. 

On  another  occasion,  at  the  same  house,  a 
fellow-guest,  one  of  our  most  honored  public  men 
at  the  Capitol,  was  entertaining  the  company  with 
an  account  of  the  way  in  which  he  had  been 
duped  in  the  purchase  of  lace  when  abroad. — 
buying  miserable  cotton  stuff  in  place  of  the  rich 
fabric  he  wanted  —  by  the  statements  of  "  half- 
price  "  and  "  poverty,'7  from  the  glib-tongued 
daughters  of  Erin,  near  Queenstown. 

At  this  Mr.  Sumner  took  up  the  subject  of 
lace,  and  went  into  it  minutely.  He  described 
the  different  varieties,  told  how  and  where  they 
were  made,  —  from  the  rich  altar-pieces  and 
other  laces  of  antiquity  down  to  the  manufac- 
tures of  our  own  day.  He  knew  the  name  of 
each  style,  and  in  whose  possession  the  laces 
TO^re  which  had  come  down  as  heirlooms  in 
royal  and  noble  families. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.  '      467 

When  surprise  was  expressed  that  a  gentleman 
should  know  so  much  on  a  subject  which  would 
naturally  interest  ladies  only,  he  said  that  he 
once  sat  at  a  dinner  party  next  Mrs.  General 

F ,  when  this  subject  was  brought  up.  She 

then  told  him  the  name  of  the  lace  worn  by  each 
lady  at  table,  calling  his  attention  to  the  fact  that 
some  of  the  least  showy  were  the  most  rare  and 
expensive.  After  that,  ho  felt  an  interest  in  the 
subject,  and  read  about  laces,  and  examined  the 
different  kinds  when  abroad  ;  so  that  now  he  was 
really  a  judge  of  the  article,  and  proof  against 
imposition. 

Mr.  Sumner's  manner  towards  little  children 
shows  that  there  was  a  fountain  of  tenderness 
sealed  up  beneath  what  many  regarded  his  stern 
and  cold  exterior.  What  he  might  hav&  been, 
surrounded  by  family  love  and  schooled  by  sweet 
home  influences  through  life,  we  can  only  im- 
agine. 

Mr.  H.  Vincent  Butler,  of  Boston,  having  asked 
Mr.  Sumner's  permission  to  name  a  little  son  for 
him,  received  the  following  reply :  — 


468        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

"WASHINGTON,  25th  February,  72. 

"  DEAR  MR.  BUTLER  :  I  have  never  expressed 
my  gratitude  that  you  should  have  thought  my 
name  worthy  of  your  son,  but  I  have  not  been  in- 
sensible to  the  kindly  appreciation  which  prompt- 
ed the  parents. 

"  But  pardon  me.  Is  it  right  to  call  a  child 
after  a  living  person  ?  Only  when  death  has  set 
its  seal  on  a  name,  can  it  be  given  to  another 
without  peril.  Who  .knows  what  may  come  in 
the  vicissitudes  of  life  ?  But  I  will  not  follow 
these  hints. 

"  I  have  expected. you  for  several  days.    Mean- 
while the  days  are  charming.     Accept  my  best 
wishes  for  the  boy,  and  believe  me,  my  dear  sir, 
"  Sincerely  yours, 

"  CHARLES  SUMNER." 

And  so  the  beautiful  little  fellow  was  named 
Charles  Sumner  Butler ;  and  afterwards,  when- 
ever the  senator  had  an  opportunity,  he  always 
asked,  with  much  interest,  "  How  is  that  boy  ?  " 

When  this  baby  was  about  seven  months  old, 
he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  visit  Mr.  Sumner 
at  his  rooms  in  the  Coolidge  House.  The  sena- 
tor was  engaged  with  his  books  when  they  en- 
tered, but  arose  at  once,  and  gave  them  a  most 
cordial  greeting.  He  then  took  the  babe,  and 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        469 

carried  it  about  the  room  in  his  arms,  while  the 
little  one  gazed  up  with  infantile  wonder  into  the 
strange  but  noble  face  of  him  who  was  so  kindly 
caressing  it.  He  then  apologized  for  not  hav- 
ing called  on  the  baby. 

Just  then  two  gentlemen  came  in,  friends  of 
Mr.  Sumner,  to  whom  he  said,  after  having  in- 
troduced the  parents,  and  holding  the  baby  up 
towards  them,  "  And  this  gentleman  is  Master 
Charles  Sumner  Butler ! " 

At  this  moment  the  senator,  being  unskilful  in 
the  art  of  holding  babies,  accidentally  snapped 
the  elastic  cord  that  held  the  cap,  against  the 
little  one's  cheek,  which  made  it  cry  out  with 
pain. 

"  Is  that  so  ? "  said  one  of  the  gentlemen. 
"We  must  admit  that 'he  has  early  commenced, 
like  his  honored  predecessor,  to  '  cry  aloud  and 
spare  not/  since  he  does  not  hesitate  to  express 
his  mind  in  this  illustrious  presence." 


470        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  8UMNEB. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

Routine  of  Life  in  Washington.  —  Home  at  Wash- 
ington. —  Aunt  Chloe's  "  God  bless  him ! "  —  Giv- 
ing Autographs.  —  Honor  in  Money  Hatters.  — 
The  Malachite  Table.  —  Tlie  Hard-earned  Vases. 
—  Bust  of  Psyche. 

MR.  SUMNER'S  tastes  were  elegant  and  refined, 
but  his  manner  of  life  was  remarkably  simple  for 
one  in  his  public  position.  He  rose  about  seven 
o'clock,  breakfasted  at  eight,  and  read  his  letters 
and  papers,  and  received  visitors,  often  convers- 
ing with  friends  while  at  breakfast. 

He  was  remarkably  prompt  as  a  correspondent, 
answering  all  letters  in  the  order  of  their  dates, 
and  very  generally  with  his  own  hand.  He  dined 
at  six  o'clock,  after  which  he  conversed  with  his 
guests  till  their  departure,  when  he  put  himself 
earnestly  to  his  work,  amid  what  seemed  to  oth- 
ers a  wild  confusion  of  books,  papers,  magazines, 
and  manuscripts,  but  what  was  to  him  the  poetry 


<fc 


1/^4- 


^     Jfcee/fc'i 

r  /I 


O^ 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        471 

of  order,  as  he  knew  where  to  lay  his  hand  on 
anything  he  wanted.  Much  of  Mr.  Simmer's 
brain- work  was  clone  after  his  guests  had  retired. 

He  was  genial  and  pleasant  with  his  servants, 
and  courteous  to  all  those  who  served  or  aided 
him  in  a  higher  capacity.  A  gentleman  who  was 
for  two  years  his  secretary,  and  companion  at 
table  and  in  the  library,  says  he  never  once  saw 
him  out  of  temper.  When  assailed  or  misrep- 
resented, he  seemed  grieved,  but  never  angry. 
Very  frequently,  in  the  case  of  a  violent  attack, 
he  made  no  reply  whatever. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  give  a  full  description 
of  Mr.  Summer's  home,  nor  a  list  of  his  art  treas- 
ures. We  shall,  however,  give  a  private  letter 
from  a  lady  who  visited  the  senator,  and  was 
shown  through  the  rooms  by  him,  and  heard  de- 
scriptions and  anecdotes  of  these  things  from  his 
own  lips,  only  a  few  weeks  before  his  death  :  — 

"...  We  passed  through  La  Fayette  Square 
to  Mr.  Sumner's  house.  It  was  a  lovely  morning, 
so  summer-like  that  we  wondered  the  grass  and 
flowers  did  not  forget  it  was  January,  and  peep 
out. 

"  The  birds  were  out  in  full  force,  filling  the 


472        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

place  of  leaves  on  the  bushes,  and  singing  with 
all  their  power.  There  were  large,  smooth, 
glossy  leaves,  like  magnolia  leaves,  scattered 
about  the  paths. 

"  Mr.  Sumner's  house  stands  on  a  corner,  the 
Arlington  House  on  either  side",  making  it  look  as 
if  it  were  a  part  of  the  hotel. 

"  When   we   entered,   Mrs. sent   up  her 

card,  and  while  the  servant  was  gone  we  sat  in 
the  charming  parlor,  furnished  in  gold- colored 
satin,  and  filled  with  pictures  and  articles  of 
virtu. 

"  Mr.  Sumner  asked  us,  at  once,  up  stairs  into 
his  study,  where  we  found  Yice-President  Wil- 
son. When  we  entered  the  room,  there  was  a 
little  flurry  about  seating  us,  as  the  chairs  were 
all  filled  with  newspapers  and  manuscripts. 

"  I  am  accustomed,  as  you  know,  to  sitting  on 
sermons  and  manuscripts  of  that  sort  in  the  study 
at  home  ;  but  I  confess  that  I  hesitated  a  little  be- 
fore taking  a  chair  already  occupied  by  senato- 
rial speeches,  public  orations,  and  the  like. 

"  As  soon  as  we  were  seated,  Mr.  Sumner  re- 
turned to  his  reclining- chair.  He  was  dressed  in 
a  robe  de  chambre  of  dark,  bluish-purple  cloth, 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER.  473 

richly  trimmed  with  crimson,  and  confined  about 
the  waist  by  a  crimson  cord  and  tassels.  He  is 
a  grand-looking  man,  tall  and  broad-shouldered. 
He  has  a  splendid  head,  crowned  with  what  I 
should  call  —  although  I  have  never  seen  Jupiter 
—  '  ambrosial  locks.'  His  smile  is  very  beautiful, 
lighting^up  his  usually  stern  face,  and  melting 
away  all  its  coldness.  I  never  saw  a  face  before 
which  was  so  changed  by  a  smile.  I  was  par- 
ticularly struck  with  his  hands,  which  were  very 
white  and  beautifully  formed. 

"  Mr.  Sumner  had  just  received  a  letter  from  a 
friend,  asking  a  favor  of  him.  He  spoke  of  it  to 
Mr.  Wilson,  saying  he  hoped  he  should  be  able 
to  arrange  the  matter.  Mr.  Wilson  volunteered 
to  attend  to  it  for  him,  and  soon  left  the  room  for 
that  purpose.  The  large,  sunny  study  in  which 
we  were,  extends  over  the  library  and  part  of 
the  dining-room.  It  has  three  windows,  in  one 
of  which  hangs  a  beautiful  transparency.  There 
was  a  large  desk  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  and 
another  by  one  of  the  windows.  Photographs 
were  tacked  all  over  the  walls  and  the  doors, 
and  everywhere  about  were  lying  books,  books — 
papers,  papers. 


474         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

"Very  soon  Mr.  Sumner  showed  us  his  copy 
of  Pope's  '  Essay  on  Man,'  with  interlined  and 
marginal  corrections  by  the  author's  own  hand. 
We  read  them,  and  found  they  were  improve- 
ments as  well  as  alterations. 

"  He  next  showed  us  his  copy  of  Erasmus,  with 
pen-and-ink  etchings  on  the  margin  by  "Holbein, 

and  John  Bunyan's  Bible.  Mrs. remarked, 

that  Bunyan's  Psalm-book  (which  she  owned), 
which  bore  his  autograph  and  that  of  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Bunyan,  seemed  to  her  more  valuable 
than  his  Bible. 

"  *  I  had  my  choice  between  the  two  when  they 
were  for  sale,  and  preferred  the  Bible/  said  Mr. 
Sumner.  'There  is  something  about  the  Bible, 
you  know, — his  Bible, — which  inclined  me  to  it.' 

"  He  had  the  daintiest  of  cases  for  these  rare 
books,  into  which  they  just  fitted.  He  alluded 
to  them,  and  said  there  was  nothing  like  them 
made  in  this  country. 

"He  then  brought  out  from  careful  paper  wrap- 
pings two  small  wood- cuts  he  had  recently  re- 
ceived, according  to  his  order,  from  an  English 
sale. 

"One  was  a  head  of  Prester  John,  and  as  I,  in 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        475 

common  with  others,  have  rather  a  vague  idea 
of  this  semi-mythical  gentleman,  I  was  not  sur- 
prised to  see  a  good-looking  colored  man. 

"  The  other  was  Salvator  Rosa's  *  Jonah's  De- 
liverance from  the  Whale.'  The  prophet  seemed 
coming  out  of  his  prison  in  a  terrible  hurry,  on 
all  fours.  The  l  great  fish '  was  a  fearful-looking 
animal,  resembling  a  Japanese  griffin  more  than 
anything  else. 

"  I  remarked  that  the  artist  had  carried  out  the 
words  of  the  Scripture  by  making  a  great  fish 
instead  of  the  traditionary  whale. 

" i  Why,  was  it  not  a  whale  '  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Sum- 
ner,  smiling.  *  I  was  brought  up  to  believe  it 
was  a  whale,  and  always  thought  it  was.' 

"  I  referred  him  to  the  English  Bible,  and  felt 
surprised  and  glad  to  find  that  I  knew  one  thing 
which  Charles  Sumner  did  not  know ! 

"  We  chanced,  in  the  course  of  conversation,  to 
speak  of  l  A  Week  in  a  French  Country-House/ 
when  he  told  us  that  he  had  met  Madam  Sartori, 
the  author  of  it,  abroad,  and  was  once  invited  to 
the  house  of  a  friend  to  hear  her  sing.  She  was 
at  that  time  studying  for  the  stage,  but  married 
^ir.  Sartori  soon  after,  and  so  never  entered  on 


476        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

a  public  career.  This  lady,  I  may  remark,  is  the 
mother  of  the  young  man  who  is,  at  the  time  of 
writing,  engaged  to  be  married  to  the  daughter 
of  President  Grant. 

"  Mr.  Sumner  then  spoke  of  Fanny  Kemble,  who 
is  Madam  Sartori's  sister.  He  said  he  knew  her 
well,  and  that  some  years  ago  he  boarded  near 
her,  and  used  to  take  long  rides  with  her  on 
horseback,  during  which  they  conversed  much 
on  the  topics  of  the  day.  He  said  that  he  greatly 
admired  Mrs.  Kemble. 

"  Mr.  Sumner  spoke  very  feelingly  of  Agassiz. 
He  said  that,  when  he  was  last  in  Cambridge, 
Agassiz  showed  him  the  manuscript  of  his 
article  on  the  Darwinian  theory,  —  or  rather,  the 
three  manuscripts,  —  for  he  first  dictated  the 
matter  to  Mrs.  Agassiz,  then  corrected  and 
interlined  the  writing,  which  she  afterwards  re- 
wrote. This  copy  he  corrected  and  added  to, 
after  which  she  made  a  third  transcript,  which 
was  sent  to  the  printer. 

"  While  on  this  subject,  Mr.  Sumner  said  that 
Mrs.  Agassiz  was  in  entire  sympathy  with  her 
husband  in  his  scientific  work,  and  rendered  him 
great  assistance ;  and  added,  with  much  earnest- 


LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER.  477 

ness,  '  She  is  a  true  woman  and  a  true  wife.7 
He  had  not  heard  till  then  of  the  gift  Agassiz 
had  received  from  his  daughter,  for  the  carrying 

out  his  cherished  plans.     When  Mrs. told 

him  about  it,  he  seemed  greatly  pleased,  and 
said,  '  How  happy  that  it  came  in  such  good 
time,  while  she  could  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  giv- 
ing and  he  of  receiving.'  He  and  Mrs. 

then  talked  of  various  people,  and  of  the  interests 
of  the  country,  in  a  most  interesting  way. 
•  "  Mr.  Sumner  was  to  make  a  speech  that  day ; 
but,  unfortunately  for  us,  it  was  in  a  secret  ses- 
sion. We  rose  to  leave.  But  he  asked  us  to  go 
down  stairs  and  wait  till  he  should  join  us. 

"  When  he  came  down,  he  went  to  the  library, 
opened  a  drawer,  and  showed  us  a  Latin  book  of 
John  Dryden?s,  with  his  name  scrawled  on  the 
fly-leaf  in  a  school-boy's  hand.  While  we  were 
examining  it,  Mr.  Sumner  told  us  that  once, 
when  he  was  showing  it  to  two  ladies,  one  of 
them  looked  at  the  writing,  and  exclaimed  to  the 
other,  l  Isn't  that  just  like  our  John's  ? '  He 
showed  us  Wickliffe's  Bible,  with  its  long  chain 
and  padlock. 

"  Among  his  valuable  autographs  was  this  most 
interesting  one :  — 


478         LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

'  If  Virtue  feeble  were, 
Heaven  itself  would  stoop  to  her. 

«  JOHANNES  MILTON. 
'CoMus,  1637.' 

"  When,  after  showing  us  many  other  beautiful 
things,  he  was  obliged  to  leave,  he  asked  us  to 
remain  and  look  at  the  pictures.  In  the  dining- 
room  we  saw  the  picture  of  St.  Mark  coming 
down  with  flying  mantle  to  rescue  a  slave  who 
wa*s  lying  prostrate  in  the  public  square.  He 
had  used  this  tradition  as  an  illustration  in  one 
of  his  earliest  speeches,  and  afterwards,  seeing 
the  picture,  had  bought  it.  Mr.  Whittier  has 
made  the  story  the  foundation  of  a  poem.  In 
this  room  were  many  very  beautiful  pieces  of 
china,  and  on  the  door  leading  to  the  china  closet 
hung  a  picture  suggestive  of  the  place.  Indeed, 
all  the  pictures  were  in  keeping  with  the  rooms 
where  they  hung.  On  the  side  of  the  stairs 
were  pictures  of  famous  stairways.  In  the 
study  were  engravings  of  the  House  of  Lords, 
the  French  Assembly,  the  United  States  Senate, 
and  heads  of  eminent  statesmen.  The  richer 
pictures,  with  statues,  elaborate  tables,  vases, 
and  rare  curiosities,  were  in  the  parlor  and 
library,  and  presented  work  for  more  than  one 
morning. 


LIFE    OF    CHARLES   SUMNER.  479 

"  Then  we  went  through  the  hall,  where  a  large 
Dutch  clock  stands  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  out 
into  the  noisy  street,  and  across  the  sunny  park, 
towards  the  White  House. " 

A  lady  who  was  visiting  in  Washington,  not 
long  before  Mr.  Sumner's  death,  was  talking  with 
"  Old  Chloe,"  a  colored  woman  in  whom  she  had 
long  been  interested,  when  Senator  Surnrier,  who 
was  a  warm  personal  friend,  sent  up  his  card. 
Rising,  she  said,  "  I  shall  not  be  able  to  talk  with 
you  any  longer  now,  Chloe.  Mr.  Sumner  is  down 
stairs,  and  I  must  go  to  see  him.'' 

Then  poor  Chloe  broke  out  in  rapturous  strains, 
and  extolled  Mr.  Sumner's  character  as  the  friend 
and  helper  of  her  race.  "  Fs  often  wished,"  she 
said,  "  dat  I  could  shake  hands  wid  him,  but  I 
don't  suppose  I  ever  shall.  I  wish  you  would  tell 
him  how  we  all  loves  him,  and  den  shake  hands 
wid  him  for  me  ;  and  tell  him  dat  every  time  I 
sees  him  in  de  street,  I  says,  l  God  bless  him.' " 

Those  who  had  been  present  when  Mr.  Surn- 
ner  opened  his  morning  mail  say  that,  amid  all 
his  duties,  he  often  took  time  to  send  autographs 
to  boys  who  had  written  for  them. 

A  young  lad  once  came  in  possession   of   a 


480  LIFE   OF   CHARLES   SUMNER. 

"  frank  "  of  his,  on  a  coarse  envelope  ;  but  he 
wanted  a  well- written  autograph,  not  imagining 
that  so  great  a  man  could  write  so  blindly,  except 
when  in  haste.  So  he  wrote  to  him  of  the 
one  he  had,  that  he  only  had  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing it  out  by  consulting  a  congressional  directory, 
a  legal  friend,  and  the  superintendent  of  a  manu- 
facturing corporation.  To  this  communication 
Mr.  Sumner  sent  the  following  holograph  note  :  — 

"BOSTON,  21st  September,  '61. 

"  DEAR  SIR  :  I  am  glad  you  have   so   good  a 
committee  to  help  you  in  learning  to  read. 
"  Faithfully  yours, 

"  CHARLES  SUMNER." 

Ten  years  afterwards  the  recipient  of  the  note 
reminded  Mr.  Suniner  of  the  incident,  where- 
upon the  senator  laughed  heartily,  and  said,  "  I 
declare,  I  was  not  aware  before  that  I  ever  said 
anything  quite  so  Spartan  as  that !  " 

One  of  our  Boston  Latin  School  boys  gives  an 
account  of  the  way  in  which  he  secured  Mr. 
Sumner's  autograph,  thus  :  — 

"  When  returning  one  evening  from  one  of  the 
Lowell  lectures,  in  the  horse  car,  a  gentleman  of 
imposing  appearance  attracted  my  attention 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB.        481 

He  looked  as  I  imagined  the  old  Roman  senators 
did.  I  was  watching  him  closely,  when  it  flashed 
across  my  mind  that  he  could  be  no  other  than 
Charles  Sumner.  I  found  I  was  not  mistaken. 
I  had  always  felt  a  great  desire  to  see  him,  and 
I  could  not  have  had  a  better  opportunity. 

"  I  was  much  interested  in  making  a  collection 
of  autographs,  and  was  soon  questioning  whether 
or  not  it  would  be  rude  to  ask  him  for  his,  when 
he  arose  to  get  out  of  the  car.  I  thought, '  Now 
is  my  time,7  and  immediately  rushed  from  the 
car,  just  in  time  to  overtake  him.  He  noticed 
me  approaching,  and  inquired  the  way  to  James 
Freeman  Clarke's  church.  I  said  I  should  be. 
very  happy  to  walk  to  the  church  with  him. 
Coming,  just  then,  to  a  lamp-post,  I  asked  him  if 
he  would  be  willing  to  give  me  his  autograph. 
He  answered  so  pleasantly,  that  I  felt  almost  as 
if  I  had  conferred  a  pleasure  on  him.  Having 
a  book  with  me,  I  took  from  it  a  scrap  of  paper, 
and  with  a  pencil  he  wrote,  — 

'Yours  truly, 

'CHARLES  SUMNEB. 
'  In  the  Street,  Nov.  17,  1873.' 

"  We  then  continued  our  way  to  the  church,  he 
'  31 


482  LIFE  -OP   CfHARLES  SUMNEB. 

talking  very  familiarly  with  me.  As  I  left  him  at 
the  door,  he  shook  hands  with  me,  and  lifting  his 
hat,  bade  me  '  good  by,'  while  I  scarcely  realized 
that  I  had  had  a  walk  and  talk  with  the  '  great 
and  good  Sumner.' ' 

Mr.  Sumner  did  not  love  money  enough  to  do 
an  ungenerous  thing  to  secure  it. 

In  November,  1856,  Albert  Sumner,  who,  like 
his  illustrious  brother,  was  a  splendid  specimen 
of  a  man,  of  noble  bearing  and  courteous  manners, 
was  lost,  with  all  his  family,  in  the  wreck  of  the 
Lyonnese. 

Mrs.  Albert  Sumner  was  a  lady  of  fortune ;  and 
dying  without  a  will,  her  property  went  by  law 
to  her  husband's  relatives;  but  such  was  the 
honor  of  Charles  Sumner,  that  he  insisted  that 
this  estate,  as  far  as  it  could  be  disentangled  from 
that  of  his  brother,  should  be  passed  over  to  the 
relatives  of  the  unfortunate  lady. 

Surely  this  was  an  act  of  noble  unselfishness 
rarely  met  with  in  the  world  where  so  many  — 
even  men  who  have  more  money  than  they  can 
take  care  of —  seem  playing  at  the  game  which 
children  call  "grab,"  the  motto  of  which  is, 
"  Keep  all  you've  got,  and  catch  what  you  can." 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        483 

Mr.  Sumner's  stern  principle  prevented  his 
living  in  a  style  beyond  his  means.  He  enjoyed 
only  what  he  could  pay  for  at  the  time  of  pur- 
chase. One  of  his  friends  says  that  some  years 
ago,  while  Mr.  Sumner  was  living  very  modestly 
in  the  suburbs  of  Washington,  he  visited  him.  He 
occupied  at  the  time  a  room  and  bedroom,  and 
took  his  breakfast  there,  but  dined  in  the  city. 
He  was  about  to  pay  his  landlady,  and  holding 
out  his  hand  towards  his  friend,  with  seven  ten 
dollar  gold  pieces  in  it,  he  said,  "  That  is  for  my 
monthly  rent  and  my  breakfast."  His  guest  ex- 
pressed surprise  that  he  did  not  live  in  a  little 
more  style,  when  he  replied,  "  The  country  can- 
not pay  me  any  more,  and  I  cannot  live  beyond 
my  means." 

Even  to  the  last,  when  he  had  a  home  of  his 
own,  elegantly  furnished  and  rich  with  gems  of 
ancient  and  modern  art,  he  used  the  democratic 
horse-car  in  going  to  and  from  the  Senate,  and 
always,  except  in  taking  drives  for  pleasure, 
when  he  hired  a  carriage  from  a  livery  stable. 

A  gentleman  from  Boston  asked  him,  not  long 
ago,  why  he  did  not  keep  horses. 

"Because,"  he  replied,   "if  I  did  so,  I  could 


484  LIFE  -OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

not  indulge  my  taste  for  pictures,  statuary, 
rare  books,  and  manuscripts.  I  can  live  without 
horses,  but  I  cannot  live  without  the  other 
things."  They  had  become  necessities  with 
him. 

A  lady  of  Boston,  who  was  one  of  his  most 
familiar  friends,  and  who,  with  her  honored  hus- 
band, has  been  true  to  him  through  all  his  trials, 
was  among  his  last  visitors.  In  attracting  her 
attention  to  a  malachite  table  of  rare  value  and 

beauty,  he  said,  "  This,  Mrs. ,  is  the  result 

of  my  lecture  in  Brooklyn,  and  those  vases  (he 
pronounced  the  word  vazes)  are  the  result  of 
my  Philadelphia  lecture.  He  called  attention  to 
a  Psyche,  and  said,  "  I  bought  that  on  account 
of  the  strong  resemblance  it  bears  to  my  twin 
sister;"  thus  showing  that  he  had  carried  the 
memory  of  her  sweet  face,  as  well  as  of  her 
lovely  spirit,  through  life  with  him. 

Beneath  what  seemed  Mr.  Sumner's  cold  and 
unimpressible  manner,  there  lay  a  warmth  of 
heart  of  which  we  now  and  then  catch  a  gleam, 
and  that  shows  the  man  as  he  really  was. 

One  of  those  who  knew  him  best,  who  was  a 
confidant  in  hours  when  he  threw  off  his  public 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        485 

burdens  and  laid  aside  the  veil  which  usually 
hung  between  his  heart  and  the  world,  says, 
"  When  Mr.  Sumner's  brother  George  lay  suffer- 
ing at  the  hospital,  whither  he  had  gone  for 
treatment,  and  where  he  died,  it  was  the  senator's 
custom  to  visit  him  every  morning. 

"He  always  entered  the  room  with  his  natural 
high  bearing  and  kingly  tread,  and  asked  in  deep 
tones  the  usual  questions,  and  said  whatever  of 
interest  he  had  to  say.  He  then  bade  the  sufferer 
good  morning,  and  went  out,  apparently  as  un- 
moved as  a  stone. 

"But  the  attendants  reported  that  as  soon  as  he 
had  passed  the  screen  that  shielded  his  brother, 
his  heart  gave  way,  and  he  manifested  deep  feel- 
ing, the  great  tears  rolling .  down  his  cheeks  as 
he  passed  out  of  the  room." 

He  was  then,  doubtless,  carried  back  to  the 
days  of  his  childhood.  The  statesman  was  lost 
in  the  brother;  ambition  for  the  future  was 
dimmed  by  regrets  for  the  past;  and  his  sym- 
pathy for  all,  concentrated  in  a  yearning  desire 
to  save  the  partner  of  his  childhood  from  pain 
and  death. 


486       LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

A  Struggle  for  Life.  —  Opposition  to  the  Centen- 
nial Bill.  —  Speech  against  the  Bill.  —  Insults 
from  the  Projectors.  —  Leaves  the  Senate  Cham- 
ber for  the  Last  Time.  —  Last  Hours.  —  His 
Dying  Charge. — Announcement  of  Mr.  Sum- 
ner's  Death.  —  A  Mourning  Nation.  —  Funeral 
at  King's  Chapel.  — •  Procession  to  Mount  Au- 
burn. —  The  Closing  Scene. 

CHARLES  SUMNER  received  his  death-blow  in 
1856;  but  he  was  long  in  dying.  A  man  of 
weaker  nerves,  or  one  without  a  high  purpose 
in  life,  would  have  yielded  to  the  power  of  dis- 
ease rather  .than  endure  a  slow  martyrdom  for 
years.  But  as  long  as  there  was  work  for  him 
to  do,  he  bravely  struggled  on,  compelling  him- 
self to  undertake  what  was  really  beyond  his 
strength. 

It  was  in  this  spirit  that  he  set  himself  to  per- 
form what  proved  to  be  his  last  public  act. 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        487 

As  he  had  never  learned  the  art — unfortunately 
easy  to  so  many  —  of  putting  his  hand  into  the 
public  treasury,  neither  had  he  learned  that  of 
letting  other  men  do  so,  if  he  knew  their  pur- 
pose. 

Believing  that  the  "  Centennial  Bill "  was  a 
huge  scheme  for  benefiting  a  private  corporation 
at  the  public  expense,  Mr.  Sumner  delivered  a 
speech  on  the  subject  Friday,  March  6.  In  the 
part  we  quote  he  was  more  humorous  than  was 
his  wont:  — 

"  But  I  have  something  more  to  say  —  very 
briefly,  however  —  on  the  way  in  which  these 
corporators,  if  I  may  so  express  myself,  worked 
into  their  present  position.  They  came  here  for 
their  bill ;  they  obtained  it  with  the  condition 
that  I  have  mentioned  —  a  condition  openly  an- 
nounced and  accepted  by  their  representatives 
on  this  floor,  and  also  in  the  'other  House  ac- 
cepted fully ;  and  the  venerable  senator  from 
Pennsylvania  on  my  right  was  so  jubilant  that  he 
announced  at*  once  that  they  would  obtain  the 
money  without  delay.  Ah,  sir,  does  not  the  poet 
tell  us,  — 

4  Fair  laughs  the  morn,  and  soft  the  zephyr  blows '  ? 


488        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

It  was  so  with  them.  Their  morning  laughed, 
and  the  zephyr  fanned  their  cheeks.  They  were 
confident  of  success.  They  began  with  their 
own  immediate  fellow- citizens,  and  there  they 
failed.  They  then  turned  to  the  States ;  there 
again  they  failed  ;  and  now,  sir,  morning  no 
longer  laughing,  and  zephyr  no  longer  blowing, 
they  turn  to  the  United  States,  and  ask  us  to  as- 
sume this  great  expense.  There  should  have 
been  more  frankness  originally.  If  the  United 
States  were  at  any  time  to  be  called  to  assume 
this  expense,  they  should  have  known  it  in  ad- 
vance. 

"  Nor  is  this  all.  The.  United  States  should 
have  had  the  conduct  of  the  whole  business.  It 
should  not  have  been  entered  upon  by  a  private 
corporation  of  stockholders.  Permit  me  to  say, 
in  a  certain  sense  they  are  usurpers ;  occupying 
a  supreme  national  function.  Thus  far,  all  world's 
fairs  have  been  governmental  in  origin  and  con- 
duct, and  I  see  no  reason  in  our  national  condi- 
tion why  we  should  be  an  exception.  I  do  not 
find  that  we  have  facilities  for  massing  capital 
and  obtaining  the  means  for  a  great  world's  fair 
that  should  make  us  an  exception  to  the  received 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  8UMNEB.        489 

rule  and  practice  of  other  nations.  The  world's 
fair  should  have  been  in  the  hands  of  the  nation. 

"  And  now,  still  further,  I  am  about  to  say  that, 
in  my  judgment,  a  proper  celebration  of  the  one 
hundredth  natal  day  of  the  republic  should  have 
been  by  the  nation,  and  not  by  any  private  cor- 
poration. But  these  private  corporators  have 
worked  themselves  into  the  business.  The 
authentic  story  of  the  Siberian  bear  is  revived. 
You  all  remember  it.  The  bear  leaped  upon 
a  horse,  and  he  ate  so  furiously  that  he  ab- 
solutely ate  his  way  into  the  harness  and  drew 
the  sledge.  I  know  not  if  our  Philadelphia  bear 
has  not  already  eaten  itself  into  the  harness. 
But  has  not  the  time  come  to  stop?  I  think 
we  must  give  the  bear  notice  to  quit ;  at  least 
let  him  know  that  he  cannot  drag  this  nation 
into  any  world's  fair." 

Monday  evening,  March  9,  was  the  last  time 
that  Mr.  Sumner  conversed  sociably  on  matters 
of  the  day.  A  writer  in  a  Washington  paper, 
who  passed  several  hours  with  him,  and  found 
him  free  from  actual  pain,  gives  the  following 
account  of  the  interview  :  — 

"  At  eight  o'clock  on  Monday  evening  I  made 


490        LIFE  .OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

my  last  call  on  Senator  Sumner.  He  greeted 
me,  saying,  'I  am  so  weary  thinking  over  my 
speech  on  finance  !  I  wanted  a  change,  —  a  ray 
of  sunlight,  —  and  I  am  glad  you  have  come.' 
He  at  once  began  to  talk  on  European  politics, 
which,  to  him,  was  an  outspread  map,  and  whose 
kaleidoscopic  changes  he  always  viewed  with 
absorbing  interest.  He  spoke  of  Gladstone  — 
his  noble  struggle  in  the  cause  of  liberalism, 
his  success,  his  failure,  and  his  fall ;  he  gave 
a  sketch  of  a  breakfast  with  him,  and  summed 
up  by  expressions  of  his  firm  faith  in  the  ul- 
timate triumph  of  those  principles  which  Glad- 
stone so  nobly  championed.  l  A.  great  man,  under 
the  shadow  of  defeat/  said  he,  '  is  taught  how 
precious  are  the  uses  of  adversity ;  and  as  an  oak 
tree's  roots  are  strengthened  by  its  shadow,  so 
all  defeats  in  a  good  cause  are  but  resting-places 
on  the  road  to  victory  at  last.'  He  spoke  of  the 
patchwork  empire  of  Germany ;  of  Bismark  and 
De  la  Marmora ;  of  truth,  stranger  than  fiction, 
viz.,  of  the  Italian  statesman's  assertion  of  Bis- 
mark's  offer  to  cede  to  France  a  portion  of  German 
territory ;  of  the  impolicy  of  the  annexation  of 
Alsace  and  Lorraine ;  of  the  differences  with  the 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        491 

Catholic  church,  the  imprisonment  of  her  prelates 
—  and  then,  taking  a  volume  of  Milton,  he  read, 
in  deep,  rich  tones  of  tender  melody,  his  famous 
sonnet  upon  the  persecution  of  the  Waldenses, 
during  Cromwell's  protectorate,  as  follows  :  — 

*  Avenge,  0  Lord !  thy  slaughtered  saints,  whose  bones    . 

Lie  scattered  on  the  Alpine  mountains  cold ; 

Even  them  who  kept  thy  truth  so  pure  of  old, 
When  all  our  fathers  worshipped  stocks  and  stones, 
Forget  not ;  in  thy  book  record  their  groans, 

Who  were  thy  sheep,  and  in  their  ancient  fold 

Slaiu  by  the  bloody  Piedmontese,  that  rolled 
Mother  with  infant  down  the  rocks.    Their  moans 
The  vales  redoubled  to  the  hills,  and  they 

To  heaven.    Their  martyred  blood  and  ashes  sow 
O'er  all  the  Italian  fields  where  still  doth  sway 

The  triple  tyrant ;  that  from  these  may  grow 
A  hundred  fold,  who,  having  learned  thy  way 

Early,  may  fly  the  Babylonian  woe.' 

"  In  closing,  he  added,  l  Thus  History  revenges 
herself.' 

"  About  this  time  his  evening  mail  was  brought ; 
whenever  he  came  to  an  interesting  note  or 
letter,  he  would  look  it  over  and  then  hand  it  to 
me  to  read.  The  first  was  from  an  art  association 
in  Boston,  saying  that  the  Duke  de  Montpensier, 
of  Spain,  had  agreed  to  loan  his  valuable  collec- 
tion of  pictures,  valued  at  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  to  the  association,  provided  they  paid 


492        LIFE  OF  CHAELES  SUMNEB. 

packing,  transportation,  and  insurance ;  and  as 
the  laws  of  the  United  States  limit  the  time  of 
international  loan  free  of  duty  to  six  months,  it 
needed  a  special  act  of  Congress  to  keep  the 
paintings  two  years,  so  as  to  pay  expenses  by 
their  exhibition,  and  he  desired  speedy  legisla- 
tion. He  asked  me  if  I  had  seen  them  when  in 
Spain.  I  answered  him,  I  had,  and  described 
several  of  those  I  remembered  best.  He  said, 
1  In  the  Senate  I  do  not  think  there  will  be  much 
difficulty ;  but  in  the  House,'  he  added,  smiling, 
'  Ben  Butler  can  put  it  through,  as  he  does, 
with  his  white  horse,  everything  else.  Why,  he 
is  a  political  Cagliostro.' 

"  The  next  letter  was  from  Philadelphia,  an 
anonymous  attack  of  the  bitterest  description, 
impugning  his  motives  concerning  his  speech 
on  the  International  Centenary  Exposition,  wind- 
ing up  with  a  threat  of  violence,  which  I  forbear 
to  transcribe.  As  he  handed  it  to  me,  he  said, 
good  humoredly,  1 1  am  used  to  such  letters.'  I 
read  it,  and  as  I  did  so,  consigned  it  to  the  blazing 
grate.  The  next  letter  was  from  Indiana ;  one 
of  those  good,  whole-souled  letters,  full  of  sym- 
pathy and  admiration,  with  an  urgent,  earnest  in- 


LIFE  OP  CHABLES  SUMNEB.        493 

vitation  for  him  to  visit  the  writer  next  summer, 
and  an  offer  of  generous  and  unstinted  hospitality. 
*  There/  said  he, '  you  have  burned  the  bane,  and 
here  is  the  antidote.'  His  next  letter  was  from 
Boston,  full  of  hearty  thankfulness  for  his  restora- 
tion to  health  and  cheer  for  the  future.  It  was 
closely  written,  and  as  he  handed  it  to  me,  he 
said,  l  This  is  no  summer  friend.' 

"  The  last  of  many  letters  was  one  of  congrat- 
ulation about  the  Massachusetts  legislative  reso- 
lutions, rescinding  the  vote  of  censure.  .1  never 
saw  him  look  more  happy  than  when  he  was  read- 
ing it.  He  then  arose  and  showed  me  with  sat- 
isfaction the  legislative  resolutions,  beautifully 
engrossed  on  parchment.  I  asked, '  Will  you  ad- 
dress the  Senate  when  they  are  presented  ? ' 
He  replied,  •  The  dear  old  Commonwealth  has 
spoken  for  me,  and  that  is  enough.' ': 

Tuesday,  March  10,  at  two  o'clock,  he  took  a 
seat  in  the  Senate  Chamber  beside  a  brother  sen- 
ator, also  a  prominent  opponent  of  the  Centennial 
Bill,  and  told  him,  with  an  evident  feeling  of  an- 
noyance, of  the  offensive  anonymous  letters 
which  had  been  sent  him. 

His  friend  turned  his  mind  from  this  by  allud- 


494        LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

ing  to  the  recent  action  of  the  Massachusetts 
legislature,  at  which  Mr.  Sumner  expressed  great 
pleasure.  . 

He  talked  with  Senator  Ferry,  of  Connecticut, 
a  fellow- sufferer  from  spinal  disease,  and  told  him 
of  his  intense  pain  the  night  before,  which  had 
forced  him  to  send  for  his  physician,  who  relieved 
him  by  injecting  morphine  under  the  skin. 

Mr.  Sumner  realized  that  day  that  he  was  go- 
ing far  beyond  his  strength.  "  I  want  to  talk  with 
you  about  my  health,  for  I  fear  I  am  working  too 
hard,"  he  said  to  a  friend  a  few  hours  before  he 
was  attacked  with  the  spasm  which  proved  fatal. 

Tuesday  evening  he  entertained  a  few  friends 
at  dinner.  That  was  the  last  time  he  sat  down 
at  his  table.  That  night  the  summons  came  for 
him  to  lay  aside  his  armor,  and  to  receive  his  dis- 
charge from  a  long  and  toilsome  warfare.  His 
friends  and  physicians  did  all  that  mortals  could  do 
to  ward  off  the  mightiest  of  foes  —  but  in  vain. 

There  were  no  kindred  present  to  smooth  his 
dying  pillow ;  but  he  was  not  without  love  and 
sympathy  in  his  parting  hour.  There  were  the 
men  of  mind  and  culture,  whose  hearts  had  been 
knit  to  his  by  common  labors  and  sufferings  in 


LIFE  OF  CHARLES  SUMNER.        495 

behalf  of  humanity ;  and  there  were  there,  also, 
friends  representing  the  race  for  whom  he  ha4 
lived  and  toiled. 

Even  while  dying,  he  still  pleaded  for  the  cause 
that  was  dearer  to  him  than  life.  Almost  his  last 
words  were  an  appeal  to  those  about  him,  who 
held  positions  in  the  national  councils,  to  consum- 
mate the  last  great  act  of  justice  to  the  colored 
race. 

Judge  Hoar,  of  Massachusetts,  who  stood  be- 
side his  bed,  received  the  great  senator's  dying 
charge,  "  Do  not  let  the  Civil  Eights  Bill  fail !  " 

Solomon  said,  "  I  sleep,  but  my  heart  waketh." 
So  Sumner,  when  lulled  to  sleep  by  necessary 
opiates,  was  awake  to  his  life-work,  'and  mur- 
mured his  charge  to  all  who  had  any  influence  in 
the  government,  "  Don't  let  the  bill  fail !  " 

Again  he  begged  with  earnestness  that  the  bill 
might  not  be  lost.  Judge  Hoar  stooped,  and 
with  much  emotion  kissed  the  cold  hand  of  the 
senator. 

Again  Mr.  Sumner  spoke,  and  said,  "  I  should 
not  regret  this,  if  my  book  were  finished.  My 
book  !  my  book  is  not  finished  ;  but  the  great  ac- 
count is  sealed." 


496  LIFE   OF   CHARLES  SUMNER. 

About  noon  on  the -llth  he  raised  his  head, 
and  said  to  Senator  Schurz,  "  Why !  I  can't  see  ! 
What  does  this  mean  ?"  After  hours  of  agony 
he  moaned,  "  I  am  so  tired,  I  am  so  tired  !  I 
can't  last  much  longer  !  " 

Just  before  he  died,  Judge  Hoar  gave  him  a 
message  from  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  to  which 
Mr.  Sumner  replied,  with  some  difficulty,  "  Tell 
Emerson  that  I  love  and  revere  him." 

To  a  colored  friend  who  stood  chafing  his  cold 
hand  in  the  vain  effort  to  restore  the  lost  circula- 
tion, he  said  tenderly,  "  My  poor  Johnson,  you 
can  soon  rest."  To  one  who  said,  "  I  wish  I 
could  do  something  to  warm  your  hands,"  he  re- 
plied, "  You  never  can." 

Being  told  that  his  friend,  Hon.  Samuel  Hooper, 
had  come,  he  looked  at  him,  waved  his  hand,  and 
said,  "  Sit  down." 

At  that  moment  his  heart  ruptured,  a  terrible 
convulsion  shook  his  frame,  and  he  was  no  longer 
among  the  living. 

The  great  Irish  Liberator  exclaimed,  "when  he 
heard  that  Wilberforce  was  dead,  "  He  has  gone 
up  to  heaven  with  a  million  broken  fetters  in  his 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        497 

hands  ! "  May  not  as  much  be  said  of  our  de- 
parted senator? 

When  it  was  announced  that  Charles  Sumner 
was  dead,  a  pall  seemed  to  fall  over  the  Capitol ; 
and  as  the  sad  news  flew  over  the  wires  there 
was  a  nation  of  mourners.  Even  his  enemies 
were  at  peace  with  him  now,  and  all  differences 
were  forgotten  in  presence  of  that  mighty  recon- 
ciler —  Death. 

Previous  to  the  removal  of  the  remains  to 
Massachusetts,  appropriate  funeral  services  were 
held  in  the  Capitol. 

There  was  a  continued  funeral  service  on  the 
route,  and  as  the  train  neared  Boston  the  crowds 
assembled  to  meet  it.  In  the  shadows  of  evening, 
he  who  had  so  often  entered  his  native  city  in 
the  triumph  of  success,  was  borne  into  its  streets 
for  the  last  time,  in  silence ;  and  when  the  pro- 
cession arrived  at  the  State  House,  the  remains 
were  formally  delivered  by  the  committee  of 
Congress  into  the  keeping  of  the  Governor  of 
Massachusetts,  and  lay  in  state  in  the  Doric  Hall 
over  the  Sabbath,  during  which  time  they  were 
visited  by  fifty  thousand  people. 

No  funeral  since  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln  has 
32 


498  LIFE   OF-  CHARLES  SUMNER. 

been  to  our  people  so  much  like  the  burying  of 
their  own  dead  as  that  of  Charles  Sumner. 

On  Monday,  Boston  seemed  lost  to  everything 
but  the  fact  that  it  was  the  burial- day  of  her 
great  son. 

The  funeral  procession,  which  consisted  of  the 
dignitaries  of  the  State  and  City,  moved  at  about 
ten  o'clock  down  Beacon  Street  to  King's  Chapel, 
which  was  elaborately  draped  with  black,  relieved 
by  flowers  and  vines.  The  services  were  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Foote,  pastor  of  the  church,  and 
consisted  of  scriptural  readings,  music,  and  a 
prayer,  one  sentence  of  which  should  be  pre- 
served in  letters  of  gold :  "  Teach  us  to  honor  only 
those  who  honor  Thee,  and  to  trust  only  those 
who  put  their  trust  in  Thee." 

The  shadows  were  beginning  to  fall  when  the 
imposing  cortege  reached  Mount  Auburn,  and 
wound  up  the  avenues  and  paths  through  which 
Charles  Sumner  had  so  often  followed  his  dead 
with  an  aching  heart.  The  personal  friends  of  the 
deceased,  with  the  committees  of  Congress  and 
the  Legislature,  and  the  few  surviving  members  of 
the  class  of  1830  at  Harvard,  gathered  beside  the 
open  grave,  while  thousands  of  spectators  stood 


LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNER.        499 

on  the  hillocks  and  all  around,  waiting  for  the 
closing  scene. 

The  clergyman  read  another  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture, the  friends  around  the  grave  joined  with 
him  in  repeating  the  Lord's  prayer,  and  then 
all  that  remained  of  this  mighty  man  of  valor  was 
lowered  into  its  silent  bed,  to  slumber  till  the  day 
of  the  great  awakening. 

John  G.  Whittier,  who  loved  Mr.  Sumner  with 
a  brother's  heart,  wrote  to  a  beloved  friend  of 
both,  on  hearing  of  his  death,  — 

"  I  was  in  the  act  of  mailing  this,  when  the 
telegram  announced  the  death  of  our  dear  and 
noble  Sumner.  My  heart  is  too  full  for  words. 
In  deepest  sympathy  of  sorrow  I  reach  out  my 

hand  to  thee,  and  to  Mr.  ,  who  loved  him 

so  well. 

"  He  has  died  as  he  wished  to,  at  his  post  of 
duty,  and  when  the  heart  of  his  beloved  Massa- 
chusetts was  turning  towards  him  with  more 
than  the  old-time  love  and  reverence. 

"  God's  'peace  be  with  him." 

A  few  months  before  his  death,  Mr.  Sumner 
met  Pastor  Fliedner  at  the  residence  of  a  friend. 
Their  conversation  turned  upon  war.  The  two 


500        LIFE  OP  CHARLES  SUMNEB. 

gentlemen  expressed  their  views,  which  closely 
agreed,  on  the  barbarity  of  war,  and  the  great 
wrong  in  nations,  professedly  Christian,  perpet- 
uating it,  in  the  light  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
At  parting,  they  clasped  hands,  whe'n  Pastor 
Miedner  said,  "I  hope  we  shall  meet  in  the 
land  of  peace  1 "  '"  Let  us  hope  so  !  "  replied 
Mr.  Sumner,  in  those  deep  tones  which  gave 
such  power  to  every  utterance  of  his. 

The  Germans  have  added  another  beatitude  to 
those  given  by  our  Lord  in  the  sermon  on  the 
mount :  "  Blessed  are  the  homesick,  for  they 
shall  reach  home."  May  we  not  say  of  Charles 
Sumner,  who  followed  the  apostolic  injunction, 
"Seek  peace  and  ensue  it;"  "Blessed  is  the 
peace-lover,  for  he  has  reached  the  land  of 
peace  "  ? 


A. 

As  showing  the  kind  of  influence  under  which  the  children 
of  Sheriff  Sumner  were  brought  up,  we  insert  below  a  paper 
written  by  one  of  the  daughters,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  a  year 
before  her  death. 

The  delicate  conscientiousness  which  is  here  seen  also 
formed  a  striking  characteristic  of  Charles  Sumner. 

"MAT  1,  1836. 

' '  It  is  now  nearly  a  year  since  I  first  wrote  my  character ;  and 
the  self-examination  necessary  for  it,  I  found  so  useful,  that  I 
will  try  it  again.  I  have  hoped,  and  even  believed  sometimes, 
that  that  fault  (vanity),  which  was  so  predominant  in  my 
character  then,  was  partly  cured ;  but  in  the  very  act  of  al- 
lowing that  thought  to  take  possession  of  my  mind,  I  was, 
perhaps,  indulging  the  very  thought  which  has  given  me  so 
much  distress,  and  throwing  myself  off  my  guard  when 
temptation  should  arise.  'Watch  and  pray  therefore.'  I 
have  done  these,  but  not  enough,  and  my  mind  is  still  far  too 
much  engrossed  with  the  follies  and  vanities  of  the  world.  I 
have  too  great  a  desire  to  appear  well,  and  I  fear,  to  show  off 
how  much  I  know.  It  is  hard  to  own  this  to  myself;  but  I 
have  need  of  being  humbled. 

"  I  have  not  enough  moral  courage  —  courage  to  tell  the  sim- 
ple truth  at  all  times,  and  in  spite  of  everybody.  I  have  not 
guarded  this  carefully  enough,  and  vanity  is  at  the  bottom 
here.  I  thought  I  was  conscientious,  I  had  been  so  often 
told  so,  and  my  vanity  persuaded  me  to  believe  it,  at  least  in 
part. 

(5011 


502  .   APPENDIX. 

"I  have  a  great  lack  of  charity,  that  virtue  which  I  feel 
should  be  exercised  towards  me.  My  own  failings  should 
teach  me  this.  Prejudice  and  pride,  too,  form  a  part  of  my 
character.  I  am  still  sometimes  cross  and  fretful,  and  I  fear 
my  temper  is  not  at  all  improved.  My  own  selfishness  shocks 
me,  sometimes. 

"  The  only  thing  in  which  I  have  improved  this  past  year,  is 
that  I  have  a  greater  desire  to  grow  good,  and  I  am  more 
thoughtful  and  watchful.  I  have  wept  and  prayed  over  these 
faults ;  and  will  they  never  be  eradicated?  Must  I  always 
endure  this  state  of  anxiety,  this  longing  for  pure  feelings? 
I  will  persevere,  for  I  know  that  He  who  has  helped  me  so 
far,  will  continue  his  aid. 

"  How  much  reason  I  have  to  be  thankful  for  my  long  illness 
and  the  moments  of  delighful  intercourse  with  God  which  I 
then  enjoyed,  and  how  grateful  ought  I  to  be  for  being  kept 
so  long  from  the  enticements  which  we  are  subject  to,  who 
mix  with  the  world.  But  I  have  not  improved  it  enough. 
How  happy  should  I  be  if  I  had!  I  fear  that  when  I  am 
again  well,  all  the  impressions  which  my  sickness  has  given 
me  will  vanish  like  a  mist.  Ungrateful  shall  I  be  if  they  do. 

"  This  is  what  I  am  just  at  sixteen." 


A  lady  who  was  intimate  with  Mrs.  Sumner  says  that  she 
remembers  talking  with  her  one  day  about  her  son  after  he 
had  received  his  injuries  from  Brooks,  and  saying,  "How 
proud  I  should  be  if  I  had  such  a  son !  "  "  Yes,"  was  the  re- 
ply, "  but  I  tremble." 

Speaking  of  the  father,  the  lady  said  that  he  would  some- 
times buy  tickets  to  lectures  on  useful  subjects,  and  give  them 
to  his  children,  with  the  remark,  "I  shall  be  busy  myself 
this  evening,  and  I  wish  you,  when  you  return,  to  give  a  cor- 
rect account  of  what  you  hear."  In  such  ways  he  cultivated 
•in  them  habits  of  attention,  and  the  power  of  communicating 
what  they  knew. 


APPENDIX.  503 


B. 

The  following  letter,  written  by  Mr.  Sumner,  just  on  the 
eve  of  his  setting  sail  for  Europe,  in  1837,  was  addressed 
to  one  of  his  sisters,  then  a  little  girl.  It  reveals  the  future 
man. 

' '  MY  DEAR : 

"  I  don't  remember  that  I  ever  wrote  you  a  letter.  I  feel 
confident,  however,  that  your  correspondence  cannot  be  very 
extensive ;  and,  therefore,  I  may  flatter  myself  that  what  I  write 
you  will  be  read  with  attention,  and,  I  trust,  also,  deposited 
in  your  heart.  Before  trusting  myself  to  the  sea,  let  me  say 
a  few  words  to  you,  which  shall  be  my  good  by.  I  have 
often  spoken  to  you  of  certain  habits  of  personal  care,  which 
I  will  not  here  more  particularly  refer  to  than  by  asking  you 
to  remember  all  that  I  have  told  you,  and  to  endeavor  to 
follow  my  advice.  I  am  very  glad,  my  dear,  to  remember 
your  cheerful  countenance.  I  shall  keep  it  in  my  mind,  as  I 
travel  over  the  sea  and  land,  and  hope  that  when  I  return, 
I  may  still  find  its  pleasant  smile  ready  to  greet  me.  Try 
never  to  cry.  But,  above  all  things,  do  not  be  obstinate  or 
passionate.  If  you  find  your  temper  mastering  you,  always 
stop  till  you  can  count  sixty,  before  you  say  or  do  anything. 
Let  it  be  said  of  you  that  you  are  always  amiable.  Love  your 
father  and  mother,  and  brothers  and  sisters,  and  all  your 
friends  ;  cultivate  an  affectionate  disposition.  If  you  find  that 
you  can  do  anything  which  will  add  to  the  pleasure  of  your 
parents,  or  anybody  else,  be  sure  to  do  it.  Consider  every 
opportunity  of  adding  to  the  pleasure  of  others  as  of  the 
highest  importance,  and  do  not  be  unwilling  to  sacrifice  some 
enjoyment  of  your  own,  even  some  dear  plaything,  if,  by  doing 
so,  you  can  promote  the  happiness  of  others.  If  you  follow 
this  advice,  you  will  never  be  selfish  or  ungenerous,  and 
everybody  will  love  you.  Besides  this,  my  dear,  always 
tell  the  truth.  Nobody  was  ever  hurt  who  told  the  truth; 


504  APPENDIX. 

while  many  who  told  falsehoods  have  been  struck  down,  like 
Ananias  and  Sapphira,  whose  history  you  have  undoubtedly 
read  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  If  you  have  ever  done 
anything  wrong,  always  tell  of  it  at  once,  and  your  parents 
and  God  will  forgive  you ;  whereas,  they  never  will  if  you  try 
to  conceal  it,  or  tell  a  falsehood  with  regard  to  it. 

"  Study  all  the  lessons  given  you  at  school,  and  when  at 
home,  in  the  time  when  you  are  tired  of  play,  read  some  good 
books  which  will  help  to  improve  the  mind.  If  you  follow  all 
this  advice  you  will  be  amiable,  good,  and  happy,  and  will 
contribute  very  much  to  the  happiness  of  others.  Let  me 
know,  on  my  return  from  Europe,  that  you  have  followed  all 
my  dull  advice.  I  should  feel  grieved  very  much  if  I  should 
understand  that  you  had  not  followed  it.  If  you  will  let 
Horace  read  this  letter,  it  will  do  the  same,  perhaps,  as  one 
addressed  to  him,  and  perhaps  he  will  follow  my  advice.  Give 
my  love  to  mother,  and  Mary,  and  the  rest. 

"Your  affectionate  brother,  CHAS." 

"  ASTOB  HOUSE,  Dec.  7,  1837." 


BULLETIN  OF  RECENT  BOOKS. 


LITERARY  ITEMS. 

IN  no  way  can  money  be  better  invested  for 
the  young  than  in  good  books.     They  fur- 
nish the  best  of  all  good  company,  and  are  a 

safeguard  against  temptation  to  evil. No 

series  of  books  have  been  more  eagerly  read 
and  widely  commended  than  the  $  ipoo  Prize 
Series  of  sixteen  elegant  volumes  published 
by  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.,  Boston.  Dr.  Lincoln 
says.  "They  meet  the  want  of  the  day  for 
books  which  instruct  and  improve  while  they 

fascinate  the   reader." The  $500  Prize 

Series,  issued  by  D.  Lothrop  &  Co,,  Boston, 
are  books  that  have  a  standard  reputation 
for  excellence,  and  that  have  everywhere 
proved  among  the  most  popular  additions  to 
the  library.  First  Series,  8  vols.,  $12  ;  second 

Series,  13  vols.,  $16.75 THE  OLD  STONE 

HOUSE  is  one  of  those  sweet  stories  whose 
pathos  touches  the  heart,  and  whose  charac- 
ters linger  in  the  memory  to  ennoble  life. 

WALTER  MACDONALD  is  a  deservedly 

popular  book.  Not  a  few  strange  and  strik- 
ing events  are  wrought  into  the  intensely  in- 
teresting narrative,  and  the  motive  underlying 
all  is  high  and  Christian. THE  WADS- 
WORTH  BOYS  is  hot  sensational,  but  thought- 
ful, pleasant,  and  wholesome  ;  truly  exalting 
whatever  is  noble,  and  putting  under  ban 
whatever  is  mean,  though  seemingly  respect- 
able.  The  Hon.  George  T.  Angellsays, 

STRIKING  FOR  THE  RIGHT,  price,  $1.75,  for 
which  the  unequalled  premium  of  $1000  was 
given,  "is  undoubtedly  the  best  book  of  the 
kind  in  the  world. "  Henry  Bergh  says,  "I 
wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  place  it  in  the 
hand  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the 

land,  as  it  deserves  to  be." SILENT  TOM, 

the  second  book  of  the  $1000  prize  series,  is 
no  less  popular  than  the  first  The  story  is 
startling,  and  told  with  great  power.  It  is  a 
picture  of  the  life  of  our  time,  and  will  hold 
readers  with  a  magnetism  they  cannot  resist. 
The  Boston  Daily  Traveller  says,  "  It  is 
quite  as  well  written,  as  pure  and  good  in  its 
teachings,  and  whoever  reads  one  will  be 
anxious  to  read  the  other,  and  he  who  reads 
both  will  have  read  two  of  the  best  juvenile 
stories  of  the  season." 


Opinions   Expressed. 

ANNALS  OF  A  QUIET  NEIGHBORHOOD.  P.y 
Geo.  Macdonald,  LL.  D.  Boston :  D.  Loth- 
rop &  Co.  i6mo.  pp.  590.  THE  SEABOARD 
PARISH,  A  Sequel  to  Annals  of  a  Quiet  Neigh- 
borhood, same  author  and  publishers.  i6mo. 
pp.  624.  "  Bring  out  the  author's  special  felici- 
ties of  style,  his  clear  insight  into  character, 
his  warm  sympathy  with  whatever  is  excel- 
lent and  beautiful  in  life,  his  pity  for  all  suf- 
ferers, and  his  high  appreciation  of  the  hum- 
ble, devout,  and  unselfish  piety  that  thrives 
often  among  the  poor  and  lowly,  whose  daily 
work  taxes  them  with  duties  near  the  earth, 
but  whose  thoughts  and  aspirations  keep 
them  in  constant  fellowship  with  the  skies." 
—  Morning  Star. 

KITTY  KENT'S  TROUBLES.  By  Julia  A. 
Eastman.  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.,  publishers, 
Boston.  Price,  $1.50.  "All  readers  of 
'The  School  Days  of  Beulah  Romney,'  by 
Julia  A.  Eastman,  will  be  glad  to  welcome 
'  Kitty  Kent's  Troubles, '  another  book  from 
the  same  author,  and  of  equal  interest  and 
power.  It  belongs  in  the  highest  class  of 
books  for  the  youth  and  the  family,  and  Mr. 
Lothrop  is  fortunate  in  securing  writers  who 
are  doing  much  to  elevate  our  juvenile  litera- 
ture. The  story  is  a  fascinating  one,  full  of 
human  and  tenderest  pathos,  showing  the 
folly  of  home  government  by  authority  with- 
out love,  and  how  love  can  make  sunshine 
in  the  heart  when  the  life  is  hard  and  un- 
comfortable. We  pity  any  one  who  can  read 
it  without  longing  to  lead  a  noble  life,  in  sym- 
pathizing with  those  in  trouble,  and  speaking 
words  of  good  cheer  to  the  despondent.  Kitty 
Kent  and  her  sister  are  genuine  girls,  but  we 
wish  all  girls  had  as  good  stuff  in  them."  — 

Boston    Journal.  "The    book    shows 

a  generous  sympathy  with  girl-life  in  all  its 
moods  and  tenses,  and  is  exceptional  for  its 
literary  excellence."  —  The  Advance. 
"  Such  books  are  a  rarity." —  Chr.  Era. 

"  By  offering  high  prizes  for  manuscripts 
Messrs.  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.  have  secured 
many  works  and  series  of  works  of  great  ex- 
cellence, which  all  classes  of  intelligent  read- 
ers can  enjoy  and  profit  by."—  Wa.tchmaq 
pnd  Reflector,  ' 


NOTES. 

T 1 TE  invite  special  attention  to  the  follow- 
*  •  ing  choice  books  in  sets :  SHELL  COVB 
SERIES,  4  vols.  ;  WILL  PHILLIPS  LIBRARY, 
4  vols. ;  THE  STANIFORD  SERIES,  4  vols. 
$1.50  per  vol.  These  are  peculiarly  enter- 
taining and  instructive  books  for  Boys.  Four 
sets  of  elegant  books,  as  follows,  deserve 
special  commendation,  as  interesting  and 
excellent  reading  for  Girls :  THE  TALBU- 
RV  GIRLS  LIBRARY,  4  vols. ;  ANNIB  MAY- 
LIE  SERIES,  4  vols.  ;  THE  SISTER  ELEANOR 
SERIES,  4  vols.;  OUR  DAUGHTER'S  LIBRA- 
RY, 4  vols.,  $1.50  each;  and  we  would  not 
forget  to  call  attention  to  THE  RIDGEMONT 
SERIES,  by  Julia  A.  Eastman,  author  of  the 
^icoo^prize  story,  "  Striking  for  the  Right," 
3  vols.,  $1.50  each.  The  Contributor  says 
the  publishers  of  these  books  maintain  the 
position  they  have  chosen,  that  no  book  of 
theirs  shall  be  without  its  very  practical  and 
useful  lesson. THE  EVENING  REST  SE- 
RIES, three  $1.50  vols.,  by  L.  L.,  in  which 
a  succession  of  surprises  keep  the  reader's 
interest  at  high  tension.  Original  in  style, 
the  author  opens  a  new  vein,  and  works  it 

with    singular    success.  LITTLE     BEN 

HADDEN  SERIES,  4  vols. ;  HARTZ  BOY'S 
LIBRARY,  4  vols.  ;  YOUNG  LADIES  LIBRA- 
RY, 4  vols.  ;  PRO  AND  CON  SERIES,  4  vols., 
and  the  ROSE  AND  MILLIE  LIBRARY,  4  vols., 
are  "very  elegant  $1.25  volumes,  conveying 
valuable  lessons  for  all."  The  Boston  Daily 
Advertiser  adds,  "  The  same  may  be  said  of 

all  of  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.'s  publications." 

THE  ALLIE  BIRD  SERIES,  3  vols.,  $i.ooeach, 
by  Ella  Farman,  are  singularly  fresh  and 
delightful  books  for  girls.  CHILD  LIFE  SE- 
RIES, DRIFTING  ANCHOR  SERIES,  SEA 
AND  SHORE  SERIES,  each  containing  five 
$1.00  vols.  Attractive  and  wholesome  books 
for  the  young  make  very  desirable  additions 
to  the  home  library. BILL  RIGGS  LIBRA- 
RY, 4  vols.,  HOME  SUNSHINE  SERIES,  6  vols., 
MAY  AND  TOM  LIBRARY,  5  vols.,  STURDY 
JACK  SERIES,  6  vols.,  SAILING  ORDER  SE- 
RIES, 4  vols.,  UNCLE  MAX  LIBRARY,  4  vols., 
in  very  tasty  and  elegant  binding,  and  teach- 
ing the  best  lessons  in  the  most  attractive 
way,  are  sold  at  the  moderate  price  of  75  cts. 


per  volume. THE  SUNNY  DELL  SERIES, 

5  vols.,  and  THB  COMPANION  SERIES,  3  vols., 
60  cts.  each,  are  bright  and  excellent  books 

for  the  children. THR  VICTORY  SERIES 

for  Boys,  6  vols.,  and  THE  VICTORY  SERIES 
for  Girls,  6  vols.,  are  very  fully  illustrated, 
and  teach  lessons  which  will  help  the  little 

ones  live  true  lives. LITTLE  THREE  YEAR 

OLD  LIBRARY,  3  vols.,  are  very  charming 
illustrated  books.     By  authors  of  high  rep- 
utation.   LITTLB    PEOPLE'S    LIBRARY, 

12  vols.,  are  very  beautiful  30  ct.  books,  with 
Chromo  on  cover.    The  S.  S.  Times  says, 
"They  are  of  that  kind  that  never  get  old, 
and  which  can  never  be  too  widely  circulat- 
ed."   SPRING  BLOSSOM  LIBRARY,  twelve 

30  ct.  vols.,  with  120  illustrations,  are  filled 

with,  charming  and  instructive  stories. 

The  25  ct  books  published  by  D.  Lothrop 

6  Co.  are  deservedly  the  most  popular,  and 
they  are  larger   and  more   fully   illustrated 
than  any  others  in  the  market.    Thirty-seven 
different  volumes,  in  beautiful  binding,  with 
Chromo  on  cover.     Some  of  them  are  put  up 
in  boxes,  as  follows :  HAPPY  HOUR  STORIES, 
6  vols.,  PICTURES  AND  STORIES,  6  vols.,  DE- 
LIGHTFUL STORIES,  8  vols.,  CHIMNEY  COR- 
NER  STORIES,   4  vols. PICTURES  AND 

SONGS  FOR  THE  LITTLE  ONES  is  the  best  and 
best  selling  book  published  at  -25  cts.    Any 
of  the  above  books  sold  separately. 

Commendatory. 

"The  public  appreciate  the  efforts  made 
by  Messrs.  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  literature  for  the  young.  The 
publications  of  no  other  house  have  a  greater 
popularity  or  wider  circulation."  —  Boston 
Daily  Journal. 

"Messrs.  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.  are  publish- 
ing some  of  the  most  interesting  and  charm- 
ing books  for  our  youth,  and  employ  the  very 
best  writers  to  secure  that  end. "  —  Provi- 
dence Press. 

"The  general  and  emphatic  approval  given 
by  the  press  generally  to  the  issues  of  this 
publishing  firm,  makes  the  imprint  a  satisfac- 
tory guarantee  that  the  books  issued  from  it 
have  both  character  and  interest.  Both  these 
qualities  belong  in  a  high  degree  to  their 
latest  publications."  —  Morning  Star. 


BULLETIN    OF   RECENT   BOOKS. 


LITER  ART  ITEMS. 

REV.  Dr.  Day's  book  entitled  AFRICAN 
ADVENTURE  AND  ADVENTURERS,  fully 
illustrated,  is  ready.  An  epitome  of  the  elab- 
orate works  of  Speke,  Grant,  Baker,  and 
Livingstone,  it  presents  the  salient  points 
of  each  in  a  clear,  comprehensive,  and  at- 
tractive manner.  All  who  read  it  praise  it. 

BROKEN  FETTERS  is  an  attractive  and 

effective  book,  by  the  author  of  Evening 
Rest,  and  Branches  of  Palm.  It  is  sufficient 
to  say  it  has  been  pronounced  by  competent 
critics  superior  to  either  of  his  previous  books. 

DAVY'S    JACKET,    by  Hetta  L.  Ward, 

is  charming,  portraying  both  the  inner  and 
outer  phases  of  young  life.  All  who  have 
read  A  Little  Woman,  and  Grandma  Crosby's 
Household,  will  be  glad  to  learn  more  about 
Kinnie  Crosby,  Allie  and  Jack  Grimke,  in  A 

GIRL'S  MONEY,  now  ready. In  A  LITTLE 

WOMAN,  Christian  energy  is  very  pleasantly 
set  forth  in  a  story  that  has  not  a  heavy  par- 
agraph.   MYTHS  AND  HEROES,  by  S.  F. 

Smith,  D.  D.,  is  very  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive, and  richly  worth  the  attention  of  intel- 
ligent readers,  younger  and  older. MY 

MATES  AND  I  forcibly  exhibits  the  contrasted 
results  of  lives  which  are  and  those  which  are 
not  animated  by  a  Christian  faith  and  pur- 
pose.   Mrs.  A.  E.  Porter's  new  book, 

MILLIE  LEE,  is  fully  equal  to  any  of  her 
previous  works.  The  incidents  are  skilfully 
put,  the  heroine  enlists  one's  sympathy 

throughout,  and  the  moral  is  impressive. 

SAILING  ORDERS,  by  Mrs.  Geo.  Gladstone,  is 
full  of  the  very  odor  of  the  sea,  and  of  the 

spirit  of  devotion  to  the  Great  Captain. 

Annette  L.  Noble  has  written  an  interesting 
story,  entitled  ST.  AUGUSTINE'S  LADDER. 

WONDERS  NEAR  HOME,  with  numerous 

illustrations  by  W.  Houghton,  is  very  enter- 
taining and  instructive,— a  helper  to  teachers 
and  young  people.  It  shows  that  one  need 
not  go  far  from  home  to  find  natural  wonders 

if  the  eyes  are  open  to  see. Some  of  the 

finest  character-painting  is  to  be  found  in 
Pansy's  new  book,  WISE  AND  OTHERWISE. 
There  is  a  wondrous  freshness  and  vitality 
appearing  on  every  page. LITTLE  THREE- 
YEAR-OLD  is  written  in  just  the  style  to  suit 


the  little  ones,  whose  verdict  is,  that  "it's 
splendid."  It  is  from  the  pen  of  Mrs.  C.  E. 

K.  Davis. THE  MYSTERY  OF  THE  LODGB» 

and  GOOD  WORK,  are  two  new  and  very  ex- 
cellent books,  by  that  very  excellent  and 

well-known  writer,  Mary  Dwinell  Chellis. 

The  author  of  that  fresh  and  spirited  story, 
Fabrics,  has  favored  the  public  with  another 
volume,  entitled  FINISHED  OR  NOT.  For 
thoughtful  and  appreciative  young  people  it 
will  have  a  special  charm  and  large  value. 
WILL  PHILLIPS  is  for  wide-awake  boys. 
It  shows  how  an  academy  pupil  may  be  voted 
"  a  real  good  fellow  "  by  the  most  audacious, 
and  at  the  same  time  be  so  true  to  the  Great 
Master  as  to  impress  all  with  the  presence  and 

power  of  the  godly  element. FAITHFUL, 

BUT  NOT  FAMOUS,  is  a  finely  written  story, 
by  the  author  of  Soldier  Fritz,  Maggie's  Mes- 
sage, and  Helen's  Victory.  It  gives  a  most 
interesting  view  of  the  early  progress  of 

Protestantism  in   France. IVY  FENNHA- 

VEN  pictures  no  unattainable  ideal.  It  takes 
imperfect  character  and  portrays  its  struggles, 
its  developments,  and  its  triumphs. LIT- 
TLE WAVIE,  the  dear  little  foundling,  will 
find  an  asylum  in  many  a  loving  heart. 
Some  books  are  forgotten.  We  don't  think 

any  one  will  forget  Little  Wavie. THE 

SCHOOL  DAYS  OF  BEULAH  ROMNEY  is  pro- 
nounced, by  one  of  our  most  experienced  and 
competent  teachers,  the  best  boarding-school 

story  ever  published. THE  ROMNEYS  OF 

RIDGEMONT,  by  the  same  author,  is  intensely 

alive  in  every  paragraph. KITTY  KENT'S 

TROUBLES,  to  be  issued  in  a  few  days,  will 
increase  this  author's  reputation.  She  has 
already  won  fame  and  money  as  the  writer  of 
the  $1000  prize  story,  "Striking  for  the 

Right." THE  NOBLE  PRINTER,  a  tale  of 

the  first  printed  Bible,  will  be  read.  It  de- 
picts, with  force  and  vividness,  the  life-long 

struggle  of  Guttenberg. ANNIE  MAYLIE 

is  one  of  the  best  stories  for  young  people. 
As  a  Sunday  School  book  it  could  scarcely  be 

improved. Ziorts  Herald 'says,  THE  LUCK 

OF  ALDEN  FARM  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
books  for  the  young,  by  one  of  the  best  religious 
writers  of  the  day. GRACE  AVERY'S  IN- 
FLUENCE is  a  book  that  will  strongly  call  to  a 
life  that  has  both  nobility  and  beauty  in  it. 


NOTES. 

E  SUNSET  MOUNTAIN,  Mrs.  Porter,  who 
.5  never  feeble,  or  wanting  in  a  high  aim, 
pictures  the  life  and  scenery  that  make  a  New 
England  village  noticeable,  and  give  to  its 
personages  an  interest  that  is  real  and  endur- 
ing.  The  preaching  of  THE  MARBLE 

PREACHER  (one  of  the  celebrated  $1000  prize 
stories)  is  most  truthful,  telling,  and  success- 
ful.   BEN'S  BOYHOOD  is  a  real,  life-like 

story.      Little  people  will  get  pleasure  and 

profit    out    of    it PETEK'S     STRANGE 

STORY,  unusual  in  its  plan,  and  effective  in 
its  presentation,  blends  a  touching  pathos  and 

a  wholesome  moral  lesson. NORA,  THE 

FLOWER-GIRL —  a  simple,  sweet  story  for 
the  wee  ones  —  is  fitted  to  awaken  the  charity 

of  the  strong  for  the  weak. COMING  TO 

THE  LIGHT  sets  forth  the  methods  by  which  a 
soul  finds  its  way  to  the  higher  plane,  where 
light  from  above  falls  freely  upon  the  pathway. 

MARGARET   WORTHINGTON  is  written 

with  a  thorough  appreciation  of  the  quiet, 
modest,  womanly,  but  heroic  spirit,  in  which 
fidelity  to  the  claims  of  the  gospel  sometimes 
gets  itself  embodied  in  social  and  domestic 
life,  and  which  this  young  girl  so  beautifully 

and  forcibly  illustrates. EVENING  REST  is 

one  of  the  most  original  stories  in  S.  S.  lite- 
rature. It  opens  a  new  vein,  and  works  It 

with  wonderful  success. How  AND  WHY 

considers  practical  questions  relating  to  the 
Bible.  It  is  a  vital  subject  vivaciously  treated. 
The  $1000  Prize  Series  comprise  sixteen  ele- 
gant volumes,  and  are  pronounced  by  the 
examining  committee,  Rev.  E>rs.  Lincoln, 
Day,  and  Rankin,  superior  to  any  similar 
series.  The  $500  Prize  Series^  issued  by  D. 
Lothrop  &  Co.,  have  a  standard  reputation 
for  excellence,  and  have  everywhere  proved 
among  the  most  popular  additions  to  the 
Sunday  School  Library.  First  series,  8  vols., 

$12.00;    second  series,  13  rols.,  $16.75. 

ESTER  RIUD,  JULIA  RIED,  THE  KING'S 
DAUGHTBR,  WISE  AND  OTHERWISE,  and 
THREE  PEOPLE,  by  Pansy,  published  by  D. 
Lothrop  &  Co.,  Boston,  price,  $1.50  each, 
are  books  that  do  not  belong  to  the  average 
class  of  juveniles,  and  the  author  is  no  mere 
commonplace  writer  of  religious  fiction. 


Opinions  of  the  Press. 

STRIKING  FOR  THE  RIGHT,  by  Julia  A. 
Eastman,  for  which  the  unequalled  premium 
of  $1000  was  given.  Boston :  D.  Lothrop  & 
Co.  The  Springfield  Republican  says,  "Here 
are  beautiful  sentiments,  whose  price  is  above 
gold.  The  book  is  bright,  and  witty,  and 
wise.  We  give  it  our  hearty  praise."  The 
S,  S.  Times  says,  "  It  is  a  thorough  speci- 
men of  the  ideal  volume  for  juveniles."  The 
Boston  Journal  says,  *  It  perpetually  puts 
God  and  duty  and  soul-culture  into  the  very 
heart  of  its  sketches  and  lessons."  Of  the 
second  book  in  the  series,  the  Watchman  &* 
Reflector  says,  "  SILENT  TOM  is  the  title  of 
one  of  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.  's  new  books,  and  it 
takes  rank  among  the  best  of  the  always  ex- 
cellent issues  of  this  enterprising  house.  The 
aim  of  the  book  is  high,  its  teaching  is  not 
less  effective  for  being  indirect,  and  it  honors 
true  religion  as  much  as  it  exalts  literary  art." 

KITTY  KENT'S  TROUBLES.  By  Julia  A. 
Eastman.  The  S.  S.  Times  says,  "  A  well- 
meant  and  well-managed  story,  such  as  we 
have  here,  is  just  the  thing  for  the  Sunday 
School.  Its  literary  merit  is  very  great,  as 
the  author  is  careful  to  preserve  a  sustained 
and  graceful  style  throughout  the  narration. " 
The  Episcopal  Register  says,  "  This  is  an 
attractive  and  vigorous  story  from  a  writer 
who  has  won  both  fame  and  money  by  the  pre- 
vious productions  of  her  pen,  and  is  issued  in 
Messrs.  D.  Lothrop  &  Co.'s  usual  fine  style. 
The  lesson  of  Kitty  Kent's  life  is,  that  the 
only  road  to  happiness  lies  through  the  land 
of  goodness,  and  that  the  sovereign  of  this 
land  is  the  blessed  Saviour." 

ANNA  MAYLIE.  By  Ella  Farman.  Bos- 
ton: D.  Lothrop  &  Co.  Price,  $1.50.  The 
Rural  Carolina  says,  "A  story  of  earnest 
religious  work,  and  is  pervaded  by  a  spirit 
of  sweetness  and  pathos  which  must  touch 
every  heart."  The  Witness  says,  "As  a  Sun- 
day School  book,  it  could  scarcely  be  im- 
proved." The  Boston  Journal  says,  "On  its 
literary  side  it  is  a  superior  product.  But 
the  excellence  and  the  charm  lie  chiefly  in  the 
pure,  high-toned,  gracious  and  stimulating 
religious  spirit  that  pervades  the  entire  work." 
The  Chr.  Register  says, "  The  story  is  well 
told,  touching,  and  helpful." 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SANTA  CRUZ 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  DATE  stamped  below. 


DEC  1 7  1969 
DEC  S 


MAY  28  ' 

jUNlOl98ffREC'D 

JAN02'01 

DEC  2 1 2000  RECD 


50m-l,'69(J5643s8)2373 — 3A,1 


.1^889044 


3  2106  00060  off" 


